Paradise Lost

A common tired lament read often here relates to how the youth of today are just, well, lost.  I really believe that in many ways, they are.  But why?  I am not sure, but the clearest evidences reveal themselves in the culture, in music and other entertainment, and via technological addictions.  There is just no "there" there.  It seems to be a decade by decade decadent decline.  Beginning with the vacuous "hair-bands" of the 80's to the self-loathing of the "grunge" movement and its fallen leader, Kurt Cobain, of the 90's.  Then came the turn of the century and what do we have, Lady Gaga and what I might call "grunge gone techno."  Where is the idealism?  There are occasional bright lights, but generally they come from far away lands and even then Shakira seems to be overtaken by the Gaga-factor.  I believe there is so much technology to distract today with Facebook and text messaging, that young people don't give a second notion to things that really matter.  They seem to be too busy checking up on who is doing what to whom, where and why.  There seems to be a contemporaneous expansion and contraction of the world.  Smaller and more powerful computer chips make the world and all the information it contains infinitely more accessible, but at the same time gives rise to the arrogant attitude of, who cares?  If I can be in constant contact every second with my inner circle, why ever even consider breaking out of it?  Sometimes it drives me mad to see my kids, or Lily's kids, or anyone's kids, being completely engrossed, with every attention molecule that their brains can muster, in their cell phone, or i-phone, or i-pad, or whatever.  I guess we all owe a great deal of gratitude to Steven Jobs for stealing our children.  So what is the answer?  I believe it will come when young people, perhaps through this technological vehicle, catch the idea that there are things that matter other than them and their circle of compadres.  That through this incredible and powerful vehicle change is possible and that they can be catalysts of it.  That poverty can be eliminated, the earth can become a clean place, wars can become unnecessary and irrelevant, and we can really "all get along."  The earth can truly become a smaller bigger place for each person that inhabits it.  We can relate and communicate with far away cultures and by doing so become more cultured.  We can reach out and touch someone in ways that change both them and us.  But right now, all I see, at least for the most part, is that technology is being used to become more and more self-indulgent.  To stay connected at all times to one's small circle of influence is all that really matters, when that really matters the least of all.  There is a possibility here for "paradise lost" to become "paradise gained," but only if the concept of what matters can be expanded light years ahead of where it seems to be at the present moment, at least in the minds of the majority of today's youth and the Gagaestic entertainers that clamour for their attention.  How'z that for a provocative post?

Winners and Losers

They got a name for the winners in the world.  I wanna a name when I lose.....

No, can't take credit for those lines.  That would be the team of Fagen and Becker, better known as Steely Dan.  Now there was a great soundtrack to life.  What do the youth of today have?  Lady Gaga?  Listening to that song (Deacon Blues) and the chorus line had me thinking today about winners and losers and where exactly I might fit among those categories.  I guess a pretty good case can be made for the latter.  Here I am closing my 50th decade on the planet pretty much penny and power - less.  And isn't that the measure most would use to sift the winners and losers in this life?  That is power, prestige and a pot full of gold.  Well, truth be told, I have none of those coveted treasures.  I guess I do possess the power that derives from freedom of will and the prestige of being at the top of the food chain, biologically speaking.  As for the "pot of gold," I am still a little leery that there really is one at the end of any rainbow.  Sometimes that end does seem so close you could reach out and touch it, but then it up and vanishes like a sweet smell in a stiff breeze.  Who really gets assigned to pick winners and losers anyway?  Who makes those rules?  We tend to get down on ourselves if we feel we aren't quite measuring up to them, don't we?  Life can seem so competitive, if you fall into the trap of measuring your worth according to another's yard-stick.  Getting a little sick of constantly competing?  And for what?  Power, prestige and money?  How many people do you know who have all that and more, yet they are still some of the most miserable saps amongst us.  Are they the winners?  Are there really any winners?  Does it matter?  Life can be very difficult and maybe "to win" really means nothing more than the success we have at managing our attitudes in spite of those difficulties.  To live with one's head held high above the rising waters and with one's gaze determinedly fixed on horizons to come, but without ever looking down upon anyone else.  Because, really, whether you're 10 and 1, or 1 and 10, respect for self and others, is always a win....

"Bored" to be Cassady?

Cassady with Kerouac

I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness, starving hysterical naked, dragging themselves through the negro streets at dawn looking for an angry fix, angelheaded hipsters burning for the ancient heavenly connection to the starry dynamo in the machinery of night.....
Howl, Allen Ginsberg

Recently re-read Jack Kerouac's beat masterpiece, On the Road, for the umpteenth time.  I never get bored reading that book and imagining myself in the front seat with Dean Moriarty, balling the jack over ribbons of lonely highway in search of something uniquely human.  Moriarty, of course, was Kerouac's literary personification of a real person named Neal Cassady.  Cassady, of beatnik fame.  Cassady, the chofer who always drove "Further."  Cassady, who inspired Ginsberg's "Howl."  "Cowboy Neal," who was always at the wheel, of the bus to never-ever-land.  You know there are certain emotionally-depraved words in the English vocabulary that I am just not that fond of (don't much like their Spanish counterparts either).  One of those words is "bored" (or, in Spanish, "aburrido").  Why?  To me to say that you are bored means you are relinquishing your own responsibility to live an interesting life.  Rather, what you are doing, basically, is demanding that life entertain you and that, at least in the moment, it is just not living up to its responsibility.  So you are just, well, "bored."  Was Neal Cassady ever bored?  I doubt it.  He was always too busy drinking (or drugging) to the dregs, vomiting in the gutter, rising to scale mountains of ecstatic experience and then plunging to depths of romantic despair, only to live to repeat the cycle once more.  Destructive, well, yes, but bored, hell no!  He would have none of that.  Life was just too damn interesting to allow such a depressed and defeated word to enter into the vocabularly of his existential existence.  To be bored is to be dead, and Cassady refused to succomb until he counted that last railroad tie.  What's my point in this eve of Christmas 2010 post?  Get up off your ass and wipe the very idea of being "bored" from your cloudy window "pain" of consciousness.  Do something.  Think something.  Be someone.  But, for crying out loud, don't be BORED.

Get Up, Get On
don't hesitate
cause if you do...
you'll surely meet your fate.

Take a clue from
Cassady's jive
and don't be bored...
be ALIVE!

Stumbled upon this rare clip of Cassady with Allen Ginsberg, ranting about the evils of militarism, or communism, or some ism (who the hell knows).  Just dig that gone cat who couldn't sit still long enough to bored.  Go, Cassady, Go!!  and away he went....

What the Beck?

Recently I was back in the U.S. for a short visit.  Took a stroll through a bookstore as I am always prone to do.  You see, many of those great books that one hears about are simply not available here.  I tried Amazon once, but it didn't work that well.  So whenever I am back in the States I usually bring two or three books back home.  I couldn't help noticing that there seems to be a conspiracy afloat.  Most of the books I saw were written by hard-core conservatives and usually with the theme of criticizing Obama.  I guess that's what sells these days.  One guy that really seems to be overly prolific is Glenn Beck.  I didn't feel even the slightest temptation to pick up one of his books.  I like to read things that make me feel inspired, or that motivate me, or that educate me.  I don't need to read a diatribe about how "progressive socialists" are the scum of the earth and are plotting secretly to take over the world and make everyone sing from the global warming hymnal.  Glenn Beck and many who think like him seem to believe that the United States was established by God to spread their firebrand view of conservative capitalism throughout the world and to stamp out any other viewpoint.  Anyone who thinks even the slightest bit different is part of this vast-left-wing progressive socialist conspiracy.  They are the enemy and must be defeated, banished, anihilated from the face of a U.S. dominated earth.  No, I haven't read a single Beck book, but I got an inkling that is what he writes about.  So, I believe I will just stick with something slightly more tolerant and enlightening.  What did I buy?  Well, I was so disgusted with being inundated with Palin and Beck books that I ended up buying Jack Kerouac's immortal, On the Road.  I have only read it about three or four times previous, but I guess what I saw in that bookstore really made me want to do as Kerouac's title suggest and get the "Beck" out of there.

Waxing Nostalgic....or, Just Waxing

Well I did make it here....to 50 that is.  50, five decades, half a century, 26,280,000 seconds....it does seem to be somewhat of an "arrival."  However, to say that I have finally "arrived" would be a bit much, because I am not at all sure to where.  But there is a definite feeling that it is to somewhere.  I have been thinking of making some half a century point declarations.  Like maybe once and for all time to quit drinking, cold turkey.  Although, I am a little wary that the idea is just an over-reaction to my birthday celebration hangover.  I would like the next stage of my life to be about something....exactly what that "something" is I am not altogether sure, but there is this little voice inside that keeps whispering the suggestion that the next 10 to 50 years maybe should be a bit less about me.  If all I can say is that I have arrived at that discovery, I guess it is better than nothing.  Anyways, here I am like it, or not.  I have been doing quite a bit of "waxing nostalgic" lately.  I looked the phrase up prior to using it in this post, since at first blush it seems a bit confusing.  It is not necessarily about remembering the past per say, but to grow in fondness of such remembrances....hence the waxing.  I have definitely done a bit of waxing lately, evidenced by the growing size of my waistline.  But really folks, 50 years.  I am sure there are a few out there who have already far exceeded that milestone who are thinking, so what, big deal.  But "wax nostalgic" yourself for a moment and remember hitting that mark and how it made "you" feel.  See, it isn't quite so trivial and insignificant, now is it?  I have seen a lot, done a lot, experienced a lot over those years.  I can't say that I've "done it all" (well, I could say it, and we old fogeys are fond of saying such things, but it of course wouldn't be at all true....I mean I have never shot anyone....thought about it a few times, even rehearsed it in my head, but never actually accomplished that feat, among a few others).  However, I can say that the 50 years of my existence on this earth have been quite a ride to nowhere in particular.  Maybe it is time I began charting a course, since the next great milestone may really be the ultimate and final "arrival."

A Musical Backdrop

Sometimes I feel like there should be a "musical backdrop" to life.  You know, like in the movies, where each dramatic scene is punctuated by a musical theme.  But in reality, the music isn't there....or is it?  I am sometimes deeply moved by a church service where the music is really good.  But take way the music and what do you have left?  Would the "spirit" still be stirring the folks, or would the dead silence serve to kill the mood?  We seem to be creatures created with an innate need for melody.  Of course, those melodies differ widely from one to another, now don't they?  I was watching one of my favorite all-time movies this morning, Mr. Holland's Opus, starring Richard Dreyfuss.  It is one of those movies that always "gets me" no matter how many times I see it.  The concluding scene is one of the most inspirational moments of any movie that I have seen in my lifetime.  And what is so stirring about it?  The music.  Mr. Holland taught a deep appreciation of music to his students and it changed their lives in dramatic ways.  His most famous symphony was the one he composed in the lives of his students over his 30 years of teaching music.  The pragmatic things that we need to know to "get by" in this life serve to satisfy our needs, like a roof over our heads and food in our stomachs.  But they are insufficient to satisfy the needs that reside in our hearts.  We need music, among other non-pragmatic things, for that.  I guess we really do need a musical backdrop to our lives.  One that changes melody to suite the current situation.  I am sure you have heard the philosophical question posed that if a tree falls in the woods with no one present, does it make a sound?  I will pose an even deeper question, in a world without music, is there life?  I guess it all depends on how you define that word..."life"....now doesn't it?

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

I am going to suggest something particularly outlandish in this post.  And that is, maybe that part of the Declaration of Independence that is so often quoted, you know the "life, liberty and pursuit of happiness" part, is a little off.  Maybe missing from that list is another thing we humans are endowed with, or at least should be, respect.  If you think about it, most of the bad stuff that happens in the world comes from either a flagrant disrespect of people, their property, or the planet.  A group of high school kids use Internet social network sites to bully a classmate to the point where the latter take his or her life....disrespect.  We drill holes in the bottom of the ocean too far down to deal with the consequences should something go awry....disrespect.  A husband decides to cheat on his wife of eighteen years and the mother of his children and the person who has given him the better part of her life....disrespect.  One nation decides to dredge a border river and cast the resulting sludge onto an environmentally sensitive and protected area of their neighbor country....disrespect.  It seems this whole "pursuit of happiness" thing has become nothing more than an excuse to disrespect.  The pursuit of happiness has been reduced to a supposed "right" to be wealthy, to live the "American dream," the "good life."  So, the arguably "smartest" among us  flock to Wall Street in order to figure out ways to "rig the system" and get obscenely wealthy in the process....at the expense of an entire economy and millions of jobs.....disrespect.  Sure  I could go on and on.   Maybe what the world needs is a healthy dose of respect.  Respect these days has become something we are told we have to "earn."  Or, something we have to "pay."  To "pay one's respects" connotes a zero-sum game whereby I have to give up something myself in order to give you the respect you deserve.  However, quite the contrary, respect is reciprocal....that is, in order to get it, you gotta give it.  Aretha Franklin demanded it, maybe you and I should to....Life, Liberty and Respect....now there's a declaration worth fighting for.

Constituenza

It appears that maybe the main reason for Daniel Ortega's initial obstinence in face of mounting pressure to remove troops from Costa Rican soil was because he had stumbled upon a way to rapidly and widely boost his popularity ratings.  I guess it wouldn't be the first time that happened, now would it?  I mean, it wouldn't be the first time that a politician used war or threat of war as a way to increase power and popularity.  It seems as if power carries with it a disease I will call "constituenza"  That is, a clamoring for popularity among one's constituents that often impedes the politician's ability to think or act rationally, or to do what it is they are empowered to do....help people.  Take the Republicans, for instance (now don't get your undies in a wad, I will pick on the Democrats in a moment).  Doesn't it at least seem that at election time there is an awful lot of pandering to the "middle class" and then after the election, it is those "special interests" that seem to all of a sudden capture most of their attention.  You know the ones with the fancy dinner invitations, big political party donations or, worse, under the table handouts.  The middle class seems to be left fairly under-represented in that crowd.  And are the Democrats any better?  Well not really.  They willfully accept money and perks from that same special interest crowd and then after the elections turn on them by raising their taxes (thereby engaging in a little Robin-hood style larceny).  Does anyone ever just do the right thing?  I guess that is why I am so fond of Jimmy Stewart's character in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.  He was there not to pander or politic, but only to pay homage to the power invested in him by doing something good for those he served (and that did not include primarily himself).  Ortega now has backed off his hard-line stance, but the pandering continues as he claims that in no way is he doing this out of fear of the Costa Ricans.  I mean for a Nicaraguan to be afraid of a Costa Rican...that would be like claiming that Juan Santamaria once whipped Sandino in a fist-fight!  Wars get started over stupid idiotic pride and a lust for power that clouds the minds of dim-witted politicos like Daniel Ortega, who would rather be polemic than prescient.

The State of a Nation

I read an article in the latest issue of The Tico Times regarding the growing inequality between the rich and the poor in Costa Rica.  Highlighted in the piece is the painting to the left by national artist, Héctor Gamboa.  The scene pictures children playing amongst "tugurios" (or tin-roofed shacks that riddle Costa Rica's poorest barrios) by the river, while looming large along the high-grounds are evidences of Costa Rica's surge towards development.  Tico's at the top of the economic scale certainly have more opportunity to benefit from foreign investment spawned development than those on the lowest tier.  That is no surprise.  I would imagine that to be a consequence of any nation rising from third-world to developed status.  Costa Rica does do a fair job of at least trying to give all its citizens the tools to take part in advancement, tools like education and good health.  But it seems this article is leaving out the vast majority of ticos that do not reside in either the uppermost or lowest tiers, the ticos who live in neat little homes located in tranquil communities like San Ramon, Grecia or Sarchi and countless other picturesque pueblos in every corner of the country.  This is the middle class of Costa Rica and as far as I can see, it is thriving fairly well.  To me these are the folks that make Costa Rica what it is, a place where happiness doesn't depend on the size of one's paycheck or how much "stuff" one can accumulate over the course of a lifetime.  These people are happy just to be alive and get to experience for free each waking day the beauty of their homeland and the "pura vida" spirit of family and friends.  That is not to downplay the problem of poverty and the social unrest it engenders.  Costa Rica does have such a problem.  But it is also not true to paint the picture of Costa Rica as a place where there are the "haves" and the "have-nots" and nothing in between, when in reality the vast majority of ticos are squarely "in between."  Let's call them the happy "have-lesses." I probably should not be so presumptive as to speak for them, but I would at least venture a guess to say that they are quite content with having less than those at the top.  The high ranking of Costa Rica on certain "happiness" indices in recent years is no doubt a direct result of that happy have-less crowd.  For the truth is, the more we have to have to be happy, the harder we make it on ourselves to actually experience that coveted emotional state.

The World from 264,000 Feet

I have been reading more with curiosity, rather than any degree of alarm, about the apparent Nicaraguan "invasion" of Costa Rica.  What is actually  occurring is, in my humble opinion, a bit less than described by recent inflammatory rhetoric by Costa Rica's Presidenta, Laura Chinchilla.  She claims that Costa Rica has been invaded, pure and simple, and the world better take notice.  But a few rag-tag troops having been spotted traipsing around a finca (or farm) on Isla Calerero, located on the border between Costa Rica and Nicaragua, in the extreme Northeast corner of the country, doesn't seem to arise to the level of invasion.  Nicaragua has control of the Rio San Juan that serves as the boundary line between Costa Rica and Nicaragua.  There have long been disputes between fisherman and residents along both sides of the border.  Nicaragua claims that the soldiers are doing the work of warding off the narcos.  Chinchilla calls that BS.  But really, why would Nicaragua "invade" Costa Rica and line itself against the U.S.?  Not that Daniel Ortega is any fan of "America."  But Nicaragua has in recent years tried in vain to catch up to its southern neighbor in terms of tourism and foreign investment, both of which will largely come from North America.  Invading Costa Rica I don't believe is the proper way to encourage either of these benefits that a peaceful Nicaragua could potentially grow to enjoy. All this tough talk could potentially escalate into something no one wants to see.  But the whole affair has me thinking about the "border" thing.  What are borders anyway?  You certainly can't detect them from space.  From up there it all looks fairly contiguous.  These arbitrary man-made constructs sure do seem to wreak a lot of havoc upon ourselves.  An "open-border" policy....hmmmm....sounds a bit idealistic, doesn't it?  I wonder if it could really work?  I believe this whole idea of national pride seems all too often to pit "us against them" and that can lead to some seriously nasty consequences.  Maybe Laura Chinchilla should just chill out a bit on this one.  Possibly a meeting with Daniel and an understanding of exactly what Nicaragua hopes to gain from these deployments is a better way to handle it than screaming "invasion" at the top of her lungs.

I Had a Nightmare

Martin Luther King may have "had a dream," but right now I am betting for Barack Obama, our nation's first black President, he might just feel like waking up.  And the recent elections were just that, a loud and obnoxious wake-up call.  Obama's dream of creating an "America" that is a more level playing field for all people of every socio-economic strata has turned into Obama's worst nightmare.  Why?  Well, in the immortal words of Chester James Carville, Jr., "it's the economy, stupid."  Americans are demanding their piece of the cake and some would say, they want to "eat it too."  Problem is the cake is getting a little old, stale and crumbly. Also, there just ain't much icing left these days.  We have been all too eager to lick that right off in our rush to experience all the gain, but endure no pain.  Well now it hurts and the election this week, if it showed anything, demonstrated the depth of hurt being felt out there in the U.S. populace.  Who gives a crap about things like universal health care and the environment when folks don't have jobs?  After all, we were bred to consume and by gosh we want to do so with the same voracity as our forefathers.  Anyone who even hints of getting in the way of us doing that, well, they just get what they deserve at the ballott box and Obama and the rest of his followers got nothing less than that proverbial "boot."  Well, the jury is certainly out for a while at least on whether this tea-partying crowd can create the miracle of jobs in an economy where most of what we consume is produced elsewhere by folks who have learned to get by with a lot less than us.  That is a tall order, but, what the hey, they promised to do it, so let's give'em a try.  We can always "kick those bums out" another two years down the road, now can't we?  That's democracy folks.  At the same time, those non-important issues that threaten our planet and very survival can just wait on the backburner while we get that consumption engine cranking at full throttle again!

Hurtling Towards 50

I have sort of been living in denial all year...denying that I would ever be anything other than 49 years old.  But here we are on the cusp of November and December is looming large and reality is finally setting in, for at the stroke of midnight, Dec 4th, Costa Rica Guy turns the page on another decade.  Yes, I will be 50 and there just isn't any way to avoid it at this point....well, there is one way, but let's not go there.  I guess turning 50 has me waxing nostalgic, evidenced by recent posts to my Facebook page of Grateful Dead and Little Feat tunes.  But what's the big deal about 50 anyway?  I mean, isn't 50 the new 40?  I don't really feel that old.  However, as Hank Williams Jr. so eloquently stated, "the hangovers [do] hurt more than they use to."  As one who often rails against materialism, I can't say I have much material to show for my 50 years of accumulatory existence on this great planet.  About the only thing I have accumulated is a few too many inches around the waist line and a whole hell of a lot of great experiences.  The things I am most proud of are four incredibly bright, good looking and good hearted kids.  And, yes of course, they primarily have their mother to thank for all those admirable qualites....yet proud I am nonetheless.  But you know, I am secretly looking forward to the next decade.  I believe it might finally reveal the answer to that question that has plagued me for the previous 26,280,000 minutes of my existence....the question that asks, "why am I here?"  And if it doesn't, well I still have my 60's, now don't I?  This post is not a cheap and under-handed way to encourage anyone out there to send me a birthday present, really!  But just in case you might be thinking about it, send cash please!

There's No Place Like Home

I watched a movie the other day with Lily that featured the famous song sung by Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz.  You know, that little ditty entitled Somewhere Over the Rainbow.  I mentioned that it had been a long time since I had seen that old classic movie and Lily gave me a puzzled look which betrayed the fact that she had absolutely no idea what I was talking about.  As much as I love where I live, I have to admit that sometimes it feels like a long way from home.  I just couldn't fathom the thought that someone had actually not seen, nor even heard of, The Wizard of Oz.  The next day at work I asked Pablo if he had seen the movie and I received the same puzzled look.  Oh my god, was my muzzled reply, where have you people been living!  Well, once I settled into the fact that The Wizard of Oz ain't that big down here in Latin America, I started feeling a bit lonely and isolated.  Of course, I am sure I would get the same puzzled looks back in South Carolina if I asked someone if they had ever seen or heard of Cantinflas.  One big problem about being an expat is that sometimes you get that icky feeling that you just don't belong....ANYWHERE!  As much as I feel isolated and alone at times here in Costa Rica, after being here for the better part of a decade I am sure I would experience the same sense of culture shock if I decided one day to pack it all up and repatriate.  I believe the best way to shed those feelings that often send would-be expatriates fleeing back to the U.S. with their tales tucked between their legs is to let go and immerse.  But immersing yourself in another culture doesn't mean that you have to lose your own.  On the contrary, it just means that you become that much more culturally rich....a bicultural person.  To do that requires a good healthy dose of humility, which many expats still harboring silly notions of "American exceptionalism" in their bony brains are lacking in.  There is nothing exceptional about being a "cultural bigot," which is what you are if you actually try to live in a foreign country and at the same time reject even the slightest notion of adopting or adapting to their culture.  Even though it is sometimes hard and awkward and can be even downright humiliating, the reward you get, both experientially and from a personal growth perspective, is well worth the anguish.

Words Matter Bill

Political correctness has once again become the topic of the day in the U.S.  Most recently, the heat has been turned up due to the Bill O'Reilly face off with the ladies of the View and the Juan Willams termination by NPR.  The issue seems to be whether or not one should engage in speech that lumps all Muslims into the fundamentalist extremist variety.  Bill O'Reilly seems to be of the opinion that since there is an underlying hatred of the entire Muslim world towards the "infidels" of the West, that yes it is quite appropriate, even healthy, to do so.  My take on it is to ask the question, where does such speech leads us?  Does saying that "Muslims killed us on 9-11" help in any way to assure that such an event is not repeated?  What is Mr. Bill really saying here?  That the entire Western Christian world should consider itself at war with Islam?  Where does that lead us?  Of course, O'Reilly's gross over-generalization cannot be true.  There are millions of Muslims who would not condone the terrorists acts of 9-11.  If what he is really saying is that the "religion of Islam killed us on 9-11," then, while still over-simplifying things a bit, he at least may be closer to some kernel of truth.  The Muslim faith is in a sense hostile to other faiths, especially those of the West, isn't it?  And that hostility, taken to the extreme, is what motivates terrorism.  It is not like the FARC of Colombia who engage in terrorism from an economic motivation.  Islamic terrorists certainly cannot be equally motivated since once the strap-on bomb is detonated, there is no more hope of shopping sprees in Dubai.  They are religiously motivated, pure and simple.  And our constant interference in their affairs, based largely on our own economic motivations, makes them even more motivated.  We feel threatened.  They feel threatened.  So we do the best we can to blow each other up.  Rhetoric such as what was engaged in by Bill O'Reilly on the View only adds more fuel to the already raging fire.  The "politically correct" action of the View ladies walking out on O'Reilly was stupid and meaningless and did nothing to solve the problem....only made for good TV.  Thinking before we speak, however, could be a step in the right direction.

In Support of a Constitutional Ban on the "All-Inclusive" Resort

The Riu - Gorgeous but Deadly

Picture yourself on a white sand beach in the glaring tropical sun with the waves crashing on a crystal clear sea while you recline on your beach chair sipping a tropical rum punch.  Sound nice?  Well it is a perfect setting to enjoy in a place like Cancun or Cozumel, where the resorts are large, luxurious, and, of course, "all-inclusive."  But that's Cancun, that's Cozumal and that's NOT Costa Rica.  Costa Rica is one of the most bio-diverse locations on earth.  Costa Rica is full of virgin rain and cloud forests that are home to a mind-boggling array of animal life.  Generally the all-inclusive resort is large and contains more hotel rooms by far than the average Costa Rican hotel.  I am sure there is something innate to the economic model of the all-inclusive that requires high density.  But in order to do that Costa Rica's virgin forests have to be cut down.  As a result its bio-diversity is lost.  Costa Rica loses what makes it unique.  There are some who have had the idea of bringing the all-inclusive to Costa Rica.  Most of such resorts are in Guanacaste, where the land is flatter and where there is much beachfront property that is "titled," or not subject to concession, which otherwise is the only way to build a hotel witin 200 meters of the high tide line.  But even in Guanacaste, the all-inclusive concept has caused controversy.  Take the example of the 700 room Hotel Riu in Playa Matapalo.  There are law suits and protests going on right now because in order to build the Riu a mangrove forest had to be clear cut.  All-inclusives are great for vacations where the prime objective is to eat, drink and lay back to soak up rays.  But an experience of Costa Rica, while it can involve some of that, is much more.  It is to get up close and personal with one of our planet's last true biogems.  In order to do that, you have to go to places where all-inclusives are forbidden.  Forbidden because building them there would destroy the reason to visit.  I am of the firm belief that every time an all-inclusive is erected in Costa Rica, Costa Rica loses a bit more of its unique appeal. At Package Costa Rica we will put our customers in all-inclusives if they demand it, but we try to persuade them otherwise.  It is just not the best way to experience what this country is all about.  In short, all-inclusives are by nature "un-sustainable" and therefore not consistent with the overall message of Costa Rica.

Chilean Miners Emerge from/into a Small World

I have been watching the dramatic rescue of the 33 Chilean miners with wrapped attention.  What has been particularly noteworthy is the way in which this event seems to have the planet feeling a little more "connected."    It seems the whole world is cheering for these guys.  There has been the usual "media-circus" surrounding the event, with news agencies from every corner of the globe vying to get their shots in.  It was funny last night watching the Fox News reporter trying to speak and translate Spanish as he held impromptu interviews with a few miner family members.  This guy's Spanish was about advanced enough for him to ask directions to the bathroom, but I gotta at least give him an E for effort.  I have written a lot in my other 365 Reasons blog about the idea of the world being connected and about the need for global citizenship.  Why are those things important?  Well, for one, because they are true.  We are more connected than ever and that does give rise to the enhanced need to understand things about cultures other than our own.  Take, for instance, the need to understand another language (which would have greatly aided that Fox News guy, as well as his viewers).  That may have not have been so important 50, or even 20 years ago, but it is certainly becoming more and more important now.  Understanding other people is a solid first step to becoming better understood by them and that bodes well for future peace and prosperity.  For as long as we are at each other's throats not much gets accomplished, other than the enhancement of our ability to innovate means by which to destroy one another with heightened precision and efficiency.  We humans are really good at the conflict thing.  The cooperation thing is a bit newer to the scene and while we seem to be struggling with it, at least some of us seem to be slowly coming to grip with the fact that the world is a much smaller place.  Of course that might just make it all the more easy to blow up, or hopefully and alternatively, to grow up.  The Chilean miner rescue seems to be helping us in the latter endeavor.  Viva Chile!

What's Wrong with The Fox News Point of View?



"Fair and Balanced" Front Man - The Beckster

 There have been some pointed accusations directed towards the cable news powerhouse, Fox News, lately.  First there was Barack Obama's claim that the Fox News "point of view" is destructive of America.  Now Maxine Waters has chimed in saying that Fox is "anti-immigrant."  The left just doesn't like Fox News, despite the latter's repeated claim of being the one true "fair and balanced" network.  I watch Fox News.  I am not sure why since I disagree with virtually everything espoused on it.  I do think they have the prettiest female anchors and reporters, so maybe that could have something to do with the appeal, at least for me (although I am sure none of you died-in-the-wool conservatives out there would ever admit to such a lascivious motivation).  I will admit that almost every panel enlisted to debate a particular "issue of the day" will have the token liberal viewpoint represented.  Poor Bob Beckel is a regular on Sean Hannity's "late great American panel" and gets pummeled by Hannity, the moderator, and the other two conservatives pitted directly against any idea Beckel dares to put forth.  In short, Fox News is ANYTHING but "fair and balanced."  That modern day "McCarthyite" Glenn Beck has to be the most unfair and unbalanced ("unhinged" may be a better description) news figure on the planet.  Yet he has millions of viewers who hang on his every silly chalk board illustration.  Go figure?  There is some appeal presented by Fox News that makes it the number one cable news network by a very long shot.  But the question posed by this post is "what's the big problem" with Fox?  I for one don't necessarily believe that the conservative viewpoint is always the wrong one.  I do not think that rampant and unrestricted capitalistic excess is good for the planet, or we the people who inhabit it.  The prevailing conservative thought-line seems to always suggest that government should just step out of the way and let the capitalistic train chug down the track unhindered.  But the reality is that that is exactly what we had for eight years under Bush before the train derailed.  That of a compassionate and conscientious "brake-man" is a proper role for government to play in order to prevent future derailments.  But what really concerns me about Fox is that they foment a certain brand of fear in an attempt to undermine any ideas they deem contrary to their unrestrained capitalistic point of view.  I will take as a "for instance" their almost wholesale assault on global warming and any proposal for a legislative mandate that attempts to deal with this global problem.  Just the very fact that Glenn Beck, a self-avowed global warming denier, is given so much air time provides the proof in the pudding.  Yea, O'Reilly claims to "believe in" global warming, but I have never seen a piece of carbon reducing legislation that he wouldn't quickly belittle and reduce to kooky ideas from left-wing nut jobs.  Fox News is definitely up to something and that something has nothing to do with fair and balanced journalism.  No, it is to propagate their particular brand of conservative world view.  Let me put it this way, if the November election turns out to be the conservative landslide that many are predicting, I am fairly certain Rupert Murdoch will throw a lavish party to thank all the Fox News anchors, reporters and regular guests for a "job well done."

A Learning Vacation

What's so great about a vacation?  Most people live their lives in order to take one.  It becomes really, after the kids and that ultimate vacation called retirement, the most important day-to-day motivating factor in their lives (well sex has to be up there on the list, but the vacation is usually viewed as an enhancement mechanism).  But what do most of our vacations end up being?  I would venture to say a waste of time.  Why?  Because of this idea in our heads that vacations are meant to be a time of severe self-indulgence.  And, truth be told, that never leads to a very high level of fulfillment.  I would put forth the proposition (based on experience) that the more self-indulging our vacations are, the less fulfilling they are.  Our vacation becomes something we need a while back home to "recover from."  So why not look at the vacation from an entirely different paradigm....a learning paradigm.  That is, make your vacation an opportunity to enhance your knowledge and experience of a part of the world you aren't that familiar with.  Maybe it's a different culture.  Maybe it is an opportunity to learn that there is a natural world out there to be marveled at and protected.  Maybe it is to learn a little about history, geography, or how to live a more sustainable life...how to get by with less since the people you experience on your vacation seem to be doing it.  Maybe, like Liz Gilbert in Eat, Pray, Love, there is some spiritual element that you could discover.  Or, you could learn to say a few words in a different tongue.  There are countless opportunities available in almost any vacation venue you can imagine that is outside your normal sphere of experience.  Of course, I come at all this with a bit of bias about Costa Rica, but Costa Rica is just one out of thousands of vacation learning opportunities.  Interested in learning more?  You can always contact me at Package Costa Rica, but try to seek out opportunities and experiences that are about a bit more than just being pampered.  After all, don't we receive a bit too much of that as it is?

A Plague on America?

Obama is treading water and bleeding at open sea and the blood-thirsty sharks are circling, waiting for the right opportunity to dart in for the kill.  This whole scenario has played out before.  In case you forgot, hearken back to 1994.  Clinton was president, the country suffering from severe (though not equally as severe) economic woes and Newt Gingrich and crew were circling for the kill.  And with their "Contract with America" they took a big bite out of Clinton....of course, old slick Willy was a little too sly not to use the wave of public discontentment to his advantage. In short, he basically co-opted their contract.  Doesn't all this smack a little too much of "marketing for power."  In other words, do any of these cats really care about what is good for the country, or are they just devising a scheme they hope will allow them to stay in those posh D.C. offices and keep the invites to the cocktail parties flowing.  If that sounds cynical, well, how can you not be?  I breezed through this new version of Newt's contract, the so-called "Pledge to America."  No doubt, people out there are sick and tired of the economic mess that the world has gotten itself into and this document does  a fine job of tapping into that frustration.  But I don't believe re-releasing the capitalistic monster will in the long run be the enduring answer to the problems facing people and planet.  And that is basically what this pledge document is all about, using patriotic rhetoric aimed at fomenting a tea party tirade at the polls in November.  Throw the bums out and replace them with what, more bums?  Is that really the answer?  Repeal everything that Obama has been able to pass and turn the clock back to the way things were before we got ourselves into this mess.  And then what?  Do it all over again?  I really don't believe any of these politicians are speaking for the people.  That's hard to do because "the people" do not speak with one consistent voice.  There are many in society who actually approve of what Obama has been able to accomplish.  If these new versions of the 94 Gingrich wrecking crew are successfull, the pledge to American may end up being a plague on America, indeed a plague on the entire planet as we continue down the path of mutually assured materialistic destruction.  Is that the change we need right now?

Who is the Walrus?

It dawned on me this morning, while flipping channels from a "network" news show to the indomitable Fox News, that "we" are in some deep doodoo.  The network news show was featuring a story of how some 20,000 walruses are bunched together on a beach on the northwest coast of Alaska.  Why are they there?  Because there is no ice for them to swim to.  Why is there no ice?  Because the earth is getting hotter!  Flash to Fox News and the feature story in the same moment was a women in South Carolina who bagged (that's hunter-talk for slaughtered) a 1,000 pound gator.  Why did she do it?  Was the gator some threat?  No, she just wanted a trophy of a stuffed gator in her living room....and for Fox News, that was newsworthy.  Right after that came some Texas politician heading a movement to save the traditional incandescent light bulb.  The one threatened to be replaced by CFL bulbs that are much more energy efficient.  His reasoning?  Well the government shouldn't be in the business of telling us what kind of light bulbs to use, for starters.  And, second, the CFL bulbs contain a smidgen of mercury and if they begin breaking in homes around the country we are bound to see hospitals jammed with poisoned victims.  What is really going on here?  In my opinion we are witnessing a so-called "conservative" (although what they are trying to actually "conserve" is a bit beyond me) movement that is a serious threat to people and planet.  All that seems to matter is that some notion of "traditional American values" be restored.  That the country is on the wrong track and the proof is in the increasing size of government and the decreasing size of bank accounts.  All to often, it seems to me, "traditional American values" is just a code-word for unconstrained capitalism...what I have often decried in my other blog as "capitalism run amok."  I truly believe that this brand of conservatism breeds a view of capitalism as if it were ordained by god himself and if you're not worshipping at that alter, well then you're just a heretic worthy of being burned at the stake.  I prefer to cling to this heretical belief that there are some things in this life more important than money and material.  The relentless pursuit of those things appears to have gotten us all in a lot of trouble.  So why does this movement and its unfair and out of balance forum seem to be gaining so much traction these days?  I am not so sure that it is.  Maybe it's just a Fox News illusion (wishful thinking).  Or, maybe folks who are drawn to it are kinda like the walruses....they just don't seem to be able to find anything else to swim to.  And, just like the walruses, the slightest jolt might send them into a panic in which they stampede over the rest of us....that's what has me a bit alarmed.

Never too Late to Make a Difference

I saw An Inconvenient Truth last night and again this morning for the first time.  I guess that admission shows that I am a little late to arrive to the sustainability party.  But, what the hell, I'm here.  Better late than never, as they say.  All the facts, graphs and photos were indeed impressive and convincing.  I guess I am convinced about the veracity of global climate change more from a "proof is in the pudding" perspective than a scientific "cold-hard-fact" perspective.  And that proof seems to keep coming at us in ever alarming and increasing quantities (witness the Pakistan floods as the latest and greatest example).  However, what impressed or impacted me most about this documentary was the personal nature in which Gore revealed the motivations behind his mission to save the planet.  The near death of his son and his realization that maybe the remaining and waning years of his life be about something important, something larger than himself.  We all have that same choice to make.  Live for ourselves, or live for some larger impact.  Gore made that choice and it may end up being the difference between having an inhabitable planet, or not.  And, after all, he is just a guy (one of privilege perhaps and one who is a little too flat at times and possesses an awkward professor-like demeanor) with a heart that truly wants to make a difference.  I believe right now the world needs more Al Gore's.  Sure these days his personal problems are making headlines and his critics are frothing at the mouth with every opportunity to dump toxic waste into his otherwise clean cut image.  But he is bringing a message to the world that is important to hear and people are listening and taking action.  And that, my friends, is what is required to make a difference.  However, "lynchpins" are only good for initiating movement.  The actual moving towards real progress is up to the rest of us.

Low Impact Life

Dave Cantebury and Cody Lundin

There is a survival show I watch from time to time that pits two survivalists, with acutely differering approaches to the subject, against various forces of natue.  One of these guys is Cody Lundin, a self-described "minimalist" who has spent the last 20 years of his life barefoot.  The other is Dave Cantebury, an ex-military guy who always seems to be good at "rustling up some meat" while the two are battling against the elements.  Cody is more of a gatherer than a hunter, but I have noticed that he never refuses one of Dave's kills.  Their survivalist approaches differ almost diametrically in that Cody is bent on making the smallest impact possible, whereas Dave really doesn't care about all that, as long as he survives the ordeal he is up against.  Dave's theory of eat or be eaten is similar to the general everyday approach to life of "upwardly mobile" people in developed countries of the world.  I will call it the "island unto myself" theory that all that really matters is whether or not I get mine.  A "survival of the fittest" mentality, if you will.  And "mine" is whatever I can kill driven by my hunger to eat, to survive.  Cody on the other hand usually stays back at the camp and gathers the bare minimum the two need to get through the night.  Personally, I like Cody's approach.  That is, not to fight against nature, but to "go with its flow."  Society has now reached the point where we have actually become a formidable foe against nature.  Wasn't that way 100 years ago, but technological and population advances have made it so today.  In short, we are making our impact....we are getting what we claim to be ours....and then some!  But nature is beginning to fight back.  Our planet is beginning to reveal the consequences of our increasing impact.  Maybe it is time we begin to adopt more of a Cody Lundin attitude about life.  That walking lightly upon this hallowed ground we call home is a better way.  Maybe Cody's low impact style is the best method to insure our future survival.

Got a Passion to Write?

Calling all authors....

I started this blog with the idea of doing something a bit different.  I spent over two years posting to my blog, 365 Reasons I Love Costa Rica.  Many of the posts expressed my feelings about living in Costa Rica.  Many also expressed my feelings about life in general.  But most, if not all, were a bit too concerned with me.  Well, I'm over it!  The new blog proposes to be more about you...or about how to serve, contribute, make a difference, and be a sustainable citizen of the planet earth.  I don't believe I have a corner on the wisdom required to be able to do those things, so I am extending an invitation to you to share your thoughts, feelings, experience and knowledge on the subject.  That's quite a bold step to take, i.e., to open up my precious blog to other writers, but what the heck.  I really want this blog, as well as the Facebook Group that is attached to it, to be a forum for sharing ideas, for imparting wisdom, for learning from the diverse experiences that each of us bring to the table.  So please let me know if you have a passion to write about doing good things for other people.  That, to put it simply, is the real and underlying theme of this tribe.  A tribe of do-gooders who would like to use their time left on earth a little wiser than maybe the previous, say, 49 years (at least in my case).  So if you got something to say, by all means SAY IT!  If you want to write, here's the drill.  Let me know (via an email, or comment to this post, or message on Facebook....whatever) and I will be in touch.  I have never done this before, so I gotta figure the ins and the outs, but I am willing to give it a try and hopefully we will all be rewarded in the effort.

1000 Homeless - 100 Beds

A dash for the Shelter

I read an article in last Sunday's edition of Proa (a special section that appears each Sunday in La Nación, Costa Rica's most reputable and reliable newspaper) about an old hotel located in one of Costa Rica's most dangerous downtown locations, what we call Zona Roja, that has been converted into a homeless shelter.  I also found out that it is San Jose's only homeless shelter.  The shelter has beds for 103.  The estimates for the number of homeless in the area range from to just under 1,000 to 4,000.  Therefore, each day when the shelter opens its doors at around 6:15 pm, there is a literal stampede of men clamouring for a night in a dry bed as opposed to a soggy piece of cardboard.  I don't know about you, but when I see a homeless person I generally have this thought...."there but for the grace of God go I."  Since many homeless suffer drug addiction, schizophrenia or some other mental or physical infirmity, it is easy to want to just avoid them. Here they often approach you at stoplights pleading for money.  It is so easy to dismiss them thinking to yourself, he's just gonna buy drugs or booze.  And I know experts would say giving them money is not helping them out of their situation.  But I often feel that is the least I can do.  I am not rich, but I can afford to give a few coins, or even a bit more than that.  And the way I figure it is who am I to question what they will do with the money.  I assume, probably naively, maybe buy a bite to eat.  I have seen a young guy who always begged by a stoplight near a former apartment.  His method was to fashion "bichos" or insects from blades of caña brava (a tall bamboo-like plant that grows in plenitude here).  I always gladly gave him a few coins for a bicho and then proudly displayed it on my dashboard until the next time.  Lately I have seen this guy at the same stoplight, but he looks a bit better than before, more clean cut and businesslike...gone is the trembling and nervousness that once had me convinced that he was another of San Jose's crack addicts.  He seems to be doing better.  So who knows what a little help might actually be doing for a guy like that.  I am a bit appalled to find out that Costa Rica offers 100 beds to the 1000 plus homeless that roam its streets.  I believe maybe the city could do a bit better.  Or, maybe a concerned citizen or two should step in and do it for them.  Whatever you might think of the homeless, one thing is for certain, they are made of the same flesh, blood and spirit as are the more fortunate that pass them by.

Link to Article in La Nación

Social Entrepreneurship with Toms Shoes

I am intrigued by the concept of "social entrepreneurship."  A quick search of Wikipedia reveals the following definition...."the main aim of social entrepreneurship is to further social and environmental goals."  The Wikipedia page goes on to say, "whilst social entrepreneurs are most commonly associated with the voluntary and not-for-profit sectors, this need not necessarily be incompatible with making a profit."  I can think of no better example of a social entrepreneur than Blake Mycoskie, founder of Toms Shoes.  If you don't know about Toms Shoes, then you must be living a very sheltered life.  Young budding entrepreneur Blake visited Argentina once upon a time.  He was thinking of business ideas and really liked the Argentine "alpargata" style of shoe.  But he also noticed something else...that in the poorest neighborhoods many kids didn't have shoes at all.  So Blake had an epiphany.  Why not start a company that manufactures this style of shoe and for each pair sold, give a pair away to a kid without?  And the rest, as they say, is unfolding history.  Toms Shoes has become a national and international phenomenon, with almost a million shoes given away to kids in need.  Not to mention, Blake, has become a very wealthy and influential dude.  Why the name, "Toms Shoes" you ask?  Why not Blake's shoes?  Or Mycoskie moccasins, or something similar?  Because it stands for "tomorrow's shoes."  Blake appears to not be in it for self-glory, but to really and honestly make a difference.  I like the part in the above definition of "social entrepreneurship" that suggests that it's "OK" to make a profit.  I have written about love and power in my other blog, 365 Reasons I Love Costa Rica.  I was reading about another social entrepreneur, a beautiful lady by the name of Jacqueline Novogratz, and I came across the following quote....“power without love is reckless and abusive, whereas love without power is sentimental and anemic.”   How can anyone expect to give unless there is some reservoir from which to give, some power source, if you will?  That reservoir may be a bank account, a successful business idea, or it may just be a big heart, but there has to be some enabling factor.  Blake has inspired me that maybe one can use a passion for entrepreneurship, not just as a tool for return on capital, but also for a return to people.

A Day that Went from Bad to Worse

I was in Hawaii on September 11, 2001.  The time there is 6 hours behind that of the east coast of the U.S.  So I groggily answer a call around 4:00 am from an employee of Live Oak Capital (my former company) that informed me that the U.S was under terrorist attack.  "Huh," was my foggy brained response.  And right after that (as I began to awaken, perturbed by the call), "is this some kind of a joke" (or something to that effect).  Flipping on the tube I found out quickly that no it was definitely not a joke.  I always get mesmerized by these 911 anniversaries when we relive each and every second of that fateful morning.  Surely there has never been an event in world history that was as carefully documented and broadcasted live as 911.  And each and every videotape serves as a precious reminder of just how vulnerable even the greatest superpower can be.  What is always most inspiring on these days and what always tends to make one a little prouder to be from the U.S., is the level of courage and selflessness on display that day.  Political, ideological, ethnic, religious, or economic differences ceased to matter.  For a brief moment, what mattered most was preserving life.  And many lost theirs in the attempt.  The decision by those courageous "average joes" (who in reality were anything but) on flight 93, who in an instant, as soon as they figured out exactly what the five hi-jackers were really up to, decided to put an end to their plot, is heroic beyond words that I am capable of expressing.  Likewise the courage of N.Y.C. police and firefighters who stormed into those burning buildings and then up those stairwells to hell, is also hard to describe with mere words.  And then there were the ordinary citizens, caught up in something they certainly hadn't planned for that morning, who simply helped one another.  I heard a quote today that came close to offering up at least semi-adequate words.  That the 911 tragedy showed us the worst of our enemies and the best of ourselves.  Some would use the event of 911 to provoke hatred.  I would rather remember it to inspire love, love of country, but also love of humanity.  That is what will conquer evil. Yes, 9-1-1 was a day that went from bad to worse, but that day a country went from great to greater.

Cosmosis

Supernova

Have you ever spent time pondering why things exist?  Why we exist?  I was watching a show last night and I found out.  We exist because some star exploded like a gazillion years ago and the dust left over formed our planet and us along with it.  That the fusion inside that star is what forms the molecules of all the elements that make up matter, including us, and we are just the leftovers from this cosmic explosion.  I have heard lately that famed physicist, Steven Hawking, also currently claims that science can now rule out the necessity of a "god" in creation.  That all that is necessary are the laws of physics.  Yea, but why do those laws exist in the first place?  I mean, doesn't the enactment of a "law" require some divine deliberative body?  I have to say I am more than a bit confused by all this.  So the suggestion is that "god" really is an exploded star?  But wait, what about those "things" that can't be reduced  to molecular elements.  Were our thoughts and feelings, our capacity to imagine, dream, be creative, be sad, be happy, be angry....were all those fused and then released during this cosmic catastrophe?  What are those things made of?  Can a star think?  It would seem to me that trying to explain creation in this way leaves a huge unanswered gap.  And that is, where do thoughts and feelings originate and why do we humans seem to have a corner on that ability?  In short, there has to be some originator of this intelligence, or else what makes the difference in us being just a mound of flesh versus the living, breathing and thinking person that we are?  Can an exploded star solve that mystery?  I seriously doubt it, but if someone out there can enlighten me, I am a dry sponge ready to soak up your knowledge.  But make sure you also answer this question for me in the process...what elements from that exploded star created thought...created consciousness?  Could it really be that my capacity to think about these things originated from an inanimate object that was completely devoid of that same capacity?  If that is the suggestion, then where, how and (most importantly) why did that "capacity" enter into the picture.

Seeking Influential Indians

"Too many chiefs and not enough indians," is a complaint you often hear with respect to organizational malaise.  But in reality, I guess every tribe needs a chief and since I started this one, I guess I'm it, at least for now.  But what's a chief, what's a tribe, without indians?  So I am on the warpath (to continue my aboriginal metaphor) to recruit indians into this tribe.  Chief Costa Rica Guy needs you!  If you're wondering what in the world is all this about, then you're on the verge of a breakthrough!  And I encourage you to peruse the recently created and official CR365 Squidoo Lens.  In it a bit of the madness behind the idea is divulged.  But the idea doesn't work without you, the faithful tribes-man or woman, rallying around the cause.  What's the cause?  In a word, sustainability.  Making the world more sustainable in every sense of what the term entails.  Civilization has become unsustainable in this generation and unless "we" do something to change course, we're headed towards a bad place.  A place where the world won't be nearly as accommodating to live in.  Of course, "we" means not just our tribe, but the many tribes being formed in countless ways, often using the leverage of Web 2.0 to get their voices heard.  We are just a small part of this universe taking shape, but an integral part nonetheless.  So even if you don't join this tribe, please join some tribe.  Be a good indian and go on the war path of making a difference for a better world.....and a better you.

Lessons from Woodstock

Saw the movie Taking Woodstock last night.  It was great!  No, I wasn't at the concert.  I was nine years old.  There seems to be some great meaning in this 72 hour focal point of hippie history, indeed, U.S. history.  After the movie I was eating in the food court at the mall and I see this young dude with dreadlocks down to his belt buckle.  I asked myself, would that have been possible before Woodstock?  Maybe there should be two periods  of world history, a B.W. (before Woodstock) and an A.W. (after Woodstock).  Ok, that might be over-blowing it a bit.  So what are the "lessons to be learned" from this event, other than never rent out your cow pasture to a bunch of hippies?  Was it simply to prove to a finger wagging and highly judgemental generation that the hippies really aren't bad people?  I don't believe it accomplished that one.  No, I believe it was that in the midst of all the clamouring for super-power-dom that had young men returning to their loved ones in plastic bags, or on their own two feet, but to a less than adoring and thankful citizenry, that love and goodwill can happen.  I wasn't there, but from reports and movies it would seem that there was a lot of love and goodwill going on during these three historic days of music and mud.  It was a "happening."  An event that never can be duplicated.  At the end of the movie, allusions were made to that failed attempt at duplication, the so-called Altamont concert headed by The Rolling Stones.  However, all of us rock history buffs know that that one didn't turn out so well, now did it?  The 500,000 plus universe that was somehow shaped and formed out of virtually nothing (and the movie accurately displays that before Woodstock, While Lake, N.Y. wasn't really a "happening place") showed us all that in a world devoid of judgement and competition, love and peace can prevail.  No one was clamoring for anything in those three days, other than maybe to get a glimpse of the beads of sweat flying off of Hendrix's fingers as he artfully re-wrote the Star Spangled  Banner with his stratocaster.  Therefore, maybe the lesson of Woostock is that there are more important things in this world than just being number one.  Better to just be 1 in 500,000.  For in reality, that's really what we are.  That's freedom....

Intolerable Intolerance

I came across a news story today about some pastor of a church in Gainesville, Florida who is vowing to hold a Koran burning on September 11th.  I was thankful to hear that many in political and influential realms roundly condemn any such act.  I was less thankful that the sole reason put forth by many was that it could have the potential of further endangering troops in the Middle East.  Okay, maybe it could have that effect.  The troops are at war, so of course they are already in a huge amount of danger.  But I believe a better reason to condemn such an act is because it is imbued with an astonishing degree of religious intolerance.  Does this pastor think for a moment that such an act of intolerance towards the Islamic faith will somehow spur tolerance on their part?  Does he think that it will encourage or dissuade more young Muslims to hijack planes and slam them into our nation's grandest edifices?  Does he think there is one iota of good that could possibly come out of such a stupid, ignorant and evil, yes EVIL, act?  There is no more evil a form of intolerance than religious intolerance.  Such intolerance has throughout human history been the impetus behind some of the most cruel acts ever devised and executed against the human race.  Does this pastor somehow believe that God is looking down with favor upon this blatant act of hatred and discord?  If I sound a bit passionate about this issue, well, I am.  I have posted often about the foibles of religious intolerance in my blog, 365 Reasons I Love Costa Rica.  One's religious views are personal and based on faith.  No one can empirically prove that his view of God and the afterlife is any more valid than another.  Personally I by faith believe in Jesus Christ, but I would never condemn a Muslim's belief, or a Hindu, or a Buddhist, or anyone else.  Who am I to do so?  It is the height of arrogance to not only condemn the belief of millions of people, but to flagrantly fan that condemnation in their collective faces via such a heinous and atrocious act.  An act, mind you, that is as intolerant as many of the Islamic radicalists who, feeling justified by the kind of ignorance on display in Gainseville, choose to strap explosives on and blow Christians and Jews to kingdom come.  I will stick to the kind of tolerance that my momma always taught me that states that "two wrongs never can make a right."

What's Wrong With Capitalism?

A watched the newest Michael Moore movie, Capitalism: A Love Story, recently.  I have never been a big fan or follower of Moore's movies.  In fact, this is the first one I have ever seen.  But the topic is one that I am interested in, so I decided to give it a try.  It was very eye opening.  Moore's premise is that the titans of Wall Street have taken over and destroyed our economy to the benefit of themselves and to the detriment of hard working middle class citizens.  Hard to argue with that point.  I do take issue with the underlying idea that "capitalism" is the root of the problem.  No I would prefer to think "greed" and "materialism" are at the root of the problem.  Capitalism is a system that provides the freedom to achieve with minimal government interference.  If government is in the business of holding back achievement, then a lot of good that could be done, probably never will.  Would this platform that I am using right now to broadcast my blog to the far corners of our planet exist?  I doubt it.  Would we be able to enlighten our minds with unlimited information at the touch of a few key strokes?  I doubt it?  However, there are many who believe capitalism should be allowed to exist with NO government interference.  But that doesn't work either.  Why? Because of rampant greed and materialism.  Because those "titans of Wall Street" can't be satisfied until they have more money and things than they could ever hope to spend or consume and too many want to follow their example.  So government has to step in and "spread the wealth around."  It would be nice if folks would just do that on their own, but unfortunately that happens only in rare instances.  I don't want folks to get the wrong idea.  I am not against the success and achievement that a free capitalistic society engenders. What I am against is hoarding one's abilities and the fruits of their success.  That the founder's idea of the "pursuit of happiness" entails the consumption of as many resources for ourselves as possible.  I don't believe that is exactly what they had in mind.  That, my friends, is the root of greed and materialism and that is what is so harmful to people and planet.  In short, that is NOT sustainable.  So I am not here to encourage a rebellion against capitalism, but a rebellion against greed and materialism.  After all, real and lasting change has a better chance of occurring when it is a matter of the heart rather than a mandate from government.

Ticos React to New Immigration Law

Group of Ticos Living in Arizona

I read an article in the Sunday issue of La Nación about the way ticos living in Arizona, as well as other U.S. states, are perceiving the new immigration law. The perception is that this law has unleashed a backlash of anger and hatred towards Latin American people in general, regardless of whether they are in the U.S. legally or illegally. They are fearful for their loved ones. They are fearful that their children will be picked up by law enforcement simply due to the fact that they "look Latino" and therefore could be illegal. They are fearful of being detained and harassed simply because they choose to safeguard their "green cards" at home rather than carry them on their persons at the risk of loss. The prevailing line of conservative thought which suggests that "if you're illegal you have no rights" is simply wrong and promotes the feeling by many that Latinos within U.S. borders are generally inferior and don't belong. It is fomenting a brand of hatred that hearkens back to the days of Jim Crow. This law sends the wrong message and is the wrong way to combat border problems. The Obama administration is dead-on right to fight Arizona or any other state that tries to enact such a potentially damaging law. It is a human rights issue.  Folks supporting passage of Arizona-style laws need to take a long look in the mirror. Maybe you can see traits of your ancestors, who also came to this country as immigrants, perhaps even illegally. They faced ignorant oppression and discrimination of the same kind that is now being directed towards Latinos. Immigration policy is a delicate issue in a land of immigrants, in the home of the free. It may not be popular and may even be dangerous to do so, but the minority that is against this law should stand firm. The fact that the "majority" supports it doesn't matter. In Nazi Germany, the majority supported Hitler, but that didn't make him any less evil. This issue has the potential of tearing the country apart. This modern wave of immigrants of Latino origin, some even from Costa Rica, should be made to feel every bit as welcome as you would have wanted your white ancestors to feel when they arrived to Ellis Island.

Link to Article in La Nación

Anger Management 101

How much time do you spend being angry?  I know if I let that question loose on myself, I would have to answer honestly, too damn much (see even the question makes me angry).  I was perusing a blog (I won't mention the name) today that has some really useful information about Costa Rica, presented in a highly entertaining way.  However, the author of the blog always seems to be pissed at somebody.  And that just kind of makes it a turn-off.  No one likes to be around anger.  I don't even like to be around myself when I'm angry, but the escape routes all seem to be closed.  One thing I generally observe about ticos, repeat "generally," is that they don't spend much of their lives in this state that we in the U.S seem to live in constant infatuation with, ANGER (one notable exception, however, is the tico behind the steering wheel, which has some narcotic effect that turns their otherwise mild-mannered nature manic).  In the U.S. it seems that the tea partiers are all mad at Obama.  The left-wingers are mad at Fox News and the tea partiers.  The blacks are angry with Glenn Beck.  I was perusing the Facebook page of Van Jones today and I saw a beautiful photo of his family.  And there was one comment from some lady (and I am attempting to be extremely un-angry using that term to describe her) that was just insidious.  Jones' wife happens to be white and this person said this, and I quote; "What's with the white wife brother? You hate whites don't you? Your house looks messy. Hire a maid bitch."  Is that supposed to be funny, or just hateful, or exactly what?  It makes me, well, angry.  Where does all this anger get us?  Does it help us achieve some level of vindication?  Does it help produce positive results?  Does it serve any useful purpose under the sun?  I would venture to say, no, no it doesn't.  It only foments more of the same and the end of anger is destruction, in one form or another.  So I say, take a course in anger management America, or at least take a "chill pill" and just let it go.  Like Adam Sandler in that hilarious movie, in the end we will all be better off.

Apathy Kills

Visited the ACTUAR office today.  Actuar is a Spanish verb meaning "to act."  But in this case, it is also the name of the Costa Rican Association of Rural Community Tourism.  What is "rural community tourism."  Well, according to their guidebook, it is tourism that provides a chance to really immerse oneself in local culture and its environment in a sustainable way and in a way that promotes community and individual growth.  Sounds pretty cool, huh?  The organization pulls together the many rural community tourism offerings available in Costa Rica (just take look at their map and you'll be amazed at the depth and diversity of such experiences) and helps them gain needed marketing clout.  A rural community tourism offering may consist of simply a few families in some off-the-beaten, but naturally beautiful, path who ban together to give tourists a first hand experience of their way of life.  What does the tourist stand to gain?  Here is where the concept of "apathy kills" comes into view.  Apart from a stunning and upclose view of Costa Rican biodiversity, what Mr. or Mrs. Joe Tourist can gain is perspective.  Perspective of how life can be simpler, self-sufficient, self-sacrificing, sustainable and a whole lot more satisfying.  If one learns nothing more than that the effort it takes to recycle is worth it, then the rural community based touristic effort has made an impact. It amazes me how much in our consumer driven society that we become apathetic to even the smallest of efforts (like recycling) that can make a great impact on our world.  A rural community tourism experience in Costa Rica can be a wake-up call for adopting a more sustainable and caring attitude towards other people and towards our planet.  And that is well worth the effort.  I applaud Actuar and look forward to learning more about them and perhaps lending support. The name is very fitting!  Apathy does kill, but Actuar's strategy is indeed "to act" to combat it.