Civil Unrest & The Human Condition – Ecuador and Peru
This is a tough one for me to write. I’ve been in a bit of a tough spot inside myself and having to contend with my thoughts and feelings. The divide and disdain of the country I am a citizen. The continuing dissolving and tearing apart of my family. The job changes in my work. All the while contending with the changes inside myself after living in Asia. Any why now, add upon all this a worldwide pandemic. There are times where I haven’t been sure which way is up. I have a feeling that I am not the only one who has similar feelings like this.
Why would I even mention all of the above? Especially in a public blog for F sake! I’m certainly not looking for sympathy or to perpetuate any suffering for me or others. But it’s a natural occurrence to experience “suffering”, just as the buddha describes it. I’ve written about it a lot too. It is because I believe we all go through similar things that … 1. allow us to stay stuck in our own thoughts or 2. to use life’s circumstances to grow and become the best versions of our ourselves.
This is how I am translating some of what is going on here in South America. I am not a native Ecuadorian nor will I claim to know what their experience is like. and from my experience being here.
Ok, so, here’s the deal… I was in this bubble on a boat in the Galapagos with no real connection to the world and experiencing paradise. Then, in preparation for leaving the Galapagos Islands we are all briefed about the state of emergency and the civil unrest in Quito, Ecuador. You could feel the people in the room stop breathing out of fear.
What was I going to do about it? The group I was with could not stay in the hotel in the city center because you could not get there, and there were lockdowns with little movement allowed for the residents. I could not get to Otavalo for the largest textile market in South America nor to the surfing camp in Montanita. I felt it would be best to leave Ecuador as people’s freedom of movement had been severely stifled. Things have gotten worse since I left.
There is this expression – “As above, so below, as within, so without, as the universe, so the soul…” ― Hermes Trismegistus. This expression is considered a universal truth or law which shows us that the outside world reflects our inner world. What we feel and what we believe tend to manifest in our lives.
For example, we have all had periods in life where bad things happen, and it feels like we don’t get a break from the problems and challenges? If we can stop and remember that our outer world reflects what we think, believe and are feeling. To shift back into a positive and upward spiral we need to change the perspective of our inner world. As we transform the negative thoughts and feelings into positive ones, we will begin to attract the people, opportunities and outcomes that inspire us to pursue our greatest desires.
To live our best lives, it is so important to be true to ourselves and to take ownership over our feelings and our beliefs. Once we do this, we begin to make the world a better place. Inner peace creates outer peace. In addition, by being true to ourselves we no longer have an overwhelming need to seek validation and approval from others
Many have expressed concern for my safety while I am here. Yet, I do not feel I am in danger. I actually feel more unsafe in my own American country with all the gun shootings and violence and the power/money hungry society in which I am a citizen. I am embarrassed to admit that I am “Amerikkan”. I realize making peace with being called a “gringo” and “farang” when in a foreign countries is the gateway to my peace. Why might this be important enough for me to write about in combination of this civil unrest in Ecuador and Peru? That’s a good question I’ve been pondering how to express in writing.
The people (Ecuadorian, Peru, USA and others) are unhappy with their governments’ lack of involvement in the stabilization of the prices of gasoline and other necessity items to live. I realize this is happening all over the world. It’s just that most of the people here truly cannot afford gasoline at about $8/gallon. I wonder about this is the USA … If the government is involved in setting prices for some food (wheat, corn), electricity, natural gas and heating oil… so why aren’t they involved in the gasoline industry?
Instead of keeping all those negative feelings and thoughts inside, the people are transforming them into something more positive and effective. Taking to the streets. Protesting the lack of government involvement in caring for the people. At first, peacefully! Although it has gotten more violent. I think this might be a good example of the expression, “As within, so without”. A practice that is not particularly easy to do all the time.
I’ll get off my philosophical high horse about all this “As Within, So Without” stuff for now and get a little more down to earth… In all seriousness… I am not concerned for my safety here. Sure, there is violence and places around in which you would not want to enter. I have good situational awareness with eyes behind my head. I am not wearing flashy jewelry nor expensive clothing. I realize I am not immune to some of the things that happen to people and tourists, but I will not be dragged around by the nose by fear.
So, off to Lima, Peru I go….
(to be continued)
The plan was to come to South America the summer of 2020. I had airline tickets and a place to stay in Uruguay… and then the pandemic hit. Now fast forward to today… Uruguay wasn’t the place for me to go. I wanted more of the tropics in the north and not have to experience winter in back-to-back seasons. Oh, the joys of traveling to south of the equator.
Sometimes when people see me in a foreign country with the light color of my skin, they think I am a westerner full of money, rich and thriving. Granted, I am comfortable, and the USA has provided for me so that I can be generous with people and where it will make the most difference. I have bought groceries and food for two families since I have been here. I believe that raising humanity from the bottom up is the most important. So, we can get the basic needs of food, clothing, and shelter to everyone who needs it. It’s not that I can’t do that in the USA, I just don’t agree with the cyclical economic principles of the USA… encouraging debt, working to never pay it off, only to go into debt further, to have to work forever to pay it off. USA is the place where medical bankruptcy is the most common form of bankruptcy. We have an unstated obligation to each other… to see each other thrive in our lives.
Another way I can translate the family values here is in the history of religious dogma that has translated into dharma here. The Spaniards came here in the 1500’s and brought with them Catholicism and the teachings of Jesus which has stuck around for centuries. Jesus’ teachings are all over the place here…
It is obvious to me in my engagements with the locals that they are kind, friendly and understanding. Yes, sure, I have to tell the street vendors “no gracias” so many times for them to get the message of “no”. One of the men I met on the beach recognized some of my irritation at the end of the day. He saw what was happening and came over, sat next to me, put his hand on my shoulder and said to me “no thank you” with a smile. Giving me the lesson I needed to put away that irritation and realize people are only trying to make a living. I made up the story that he was looking out for my well-being. Was this an example of how we can care for each other? I think yes!