It's amazing how people can confess so much. They act or look a certain way, but they speak with such honesty and awareness into their life and community. Our favorite taxicab friend contributed significantly to some of our best conversations.
Instead of sitting back and accepting his culture or accepting his community, he questioned it. This is one of the hardest things for people do as it's easier to conform rather than question. But...he questioned.
He questioned why people were constantly voting in the same political leaders
He questioned why kids were being shot at the age of 16
He questioned who was a good role model for his daughter in a community of violence
He questioned why I came to his community to learn and help them
He questioned how people can be so naive in his country
It was always him against the world questioning someone or something. Although, he is aware of his own self being someone who conforms as well. He has lived in the same place, experiencing the same hardships, but he doesn't move or something new or different. He continues to live in this lifestyle and promote a culture that accepts.
A culture that accepts corruption
A culture that does not benefit from it's political leaders
A culture that financially suffers
A culture that promotes repetition
A culture that does not love it's people
It's all true no matter who you ask. The pressure for a student to become a doctor or lawyer, but limited resources to obtain it. The government not creating safe housing for it's people. The government pocketing money from tourism. With all the beauty in the natural land, the people are not benefiting from the profit.
The cost of groceries for a family and the limited jobs.
The culture of Belize promotes this laziness, this fighting against change, and inability to see the light. Just like my taxicab driver, there are people who will live and die in the same exact house or same neighborhood. They don't love their community or have a huge reason to stay rather they feel stuck in their place. They feel so stuck they can't discover something else.
The culture consists of all different races as Belize is not just a race of Afro-Caribbeans, but there are Europeans and Asians. It's a complete mix of people living under the same sun. They don't see how their culture is stifling them from their purpose. They are just going with the flow day by day.
While this is true for many countries, there is something different about Belize. It's something that any psychoanalyst or cultural analyst can easily pick up on. For me, it's like Cambodia where there is something bad going on with the government. There is corruption for reasons that just don't need to be. It doesn't make sense and with feedback from Belizians- they confirm that many things are not functioning right.
Instead of sitting back and accepting his culture or accepting his community, he questioned it. This is one of the hardest things for people do as it's easier to conform rather than question. But...he questioned.
He questioned why people were constantly voting in the same political leaders
He questioned why kids were being shot at the age of 16
He questioned who was a good role model for his daughter in a community of violence
He questioned why I came to his community to learn and help them
He questioned how people can be so naive in his country
It was always him against the world questioning someone or something. Although, he is aware of his own self being someone who conforms as well. He has lived in the same place, experiencing the same hardships, but he doesn't move or something new or different. He continues to live in this lifestyle and promote a culture that accepts.
A culture that accepts corruption
A culture that does not benefit from it's political leaders
A culture that financially suffers
A culture that promotes repetition
A culture that does not love it's people
It's all true no matter who you ask. The pressure for a student to become a doctor or lawyer, but limited resources to obtain it. The government not creating safe housing for it's people. The government pocketing money from tourism. With all the beauty in the natural land, the people are not benefiting from the profit.
The cost of groceries for a family and the limited jobs.
The culture of Belize promotes this laziness, this fighting against change, and inability to see the light. Just like my taxicab driver, there are people who will live and die in the same exact house or same neighborhood. They don't love their community or have a huge reason to stay rather they feel stuck in their place. They feel so stuck they can't discover something else.
The culture consists of all different races as Belize is not just a race of Afro-Caribbeans, but there are Europeans and Asians. It's a complete mix of people living under the same sun. They don't see how their culture is stifling them from their purpose. They are just going with the flow day by day.
While this is true for many countries, there is something different about Belize. It's something that any psychoanalyst or cultural analyst can easily pick up on. For me, it's like Cambodia where there is something bad going on with the government. There is corruption for reasons that just don't need to be. It doesn't make sense and with feedback from Belizians- they confirm that many things are not functioning right.
The only thing one can do unless living there to help out is...to pray
To pray for a better tomorrow for them.
