I am forced to write this article. I am forced by the chanting echoes of wind that is swiveling up to a tornado. The tornado of secret will one day sweep across countries and continents. The revelation will wake the nation up. The force is incredibly powerful and I decided to summit and let it direct my hand to tell this folklore.
A spontaneous trip to this Small town called Copan Ruinas in Honduras is the highlight of this travel project. with a small population, everyone in this simple-structured village knows one another. The day starts with greeting every pedestrian, local or tourist,a good morning, and ends with kissing each other good night. The other day, my friend and I were driven up to the mountain for hot spring. On the way back, to wrap the afternoon up with an extraordinary experience, we decided to do "jalon" ( hitchhiking) which we raised our thumbs for passing cars to give us a ride. To my surprise, every single vehicle stopped, only that some were heading else where. Without much being said other than "where are you heading?" and "nos vamos! (lets go)", We hitchhiked three times. First truck, we stood on the bed of a pickup with 3 men that were infected by my unstoppable laughter when the natural breeze and fresh air soothingly stroked my skin during the rapid and bumpy ride. The Free roller coaster ride generated much more adrenaline and happiness than what six flags could offer. Second truck, we sat in front with an older man who passionately introduced the magnificent mountain with an adorable grin hanging on his face. Third truck, we sat at the back with a bunch of young kids who were lovingly hugging one another. Two of them fearlessly sat at the edge of the bed right above the back wheels as if they were sitting on regular chairs. These kids were brave. In fact, I even witnessed kids of 9 years old speeding through muddy roads with motorcycles too.
In this mountain of freedom, people live the simplest and freest way. They are not rich nor poor, but they are the happiest and friendliest souls I have ever encountered. Every passing vehicle honked to say hello. I am just a random traveler in the town, yet i was valued as a friend. The owner of the hotel was an old-time family acquaintance of my newly made friend. Being a 20year old young kid, she still saw to me like a guardian and accommodated me for free even though my friend was gone. That was an act of unspoken love. These people obtain happiness through being graceful for their resourceful mountains, through immersing themselves in fresh mountain river, and through loving and trusting the neighbors.
We, coming from modernized developed countries, are fortunate enough to live gaudily with education systems (despite your criticism to it), advanced medical and computer technology, and GPS, air conditioning system, intact cars ,iphone 6, Uber, latest designer brands etc., you name it. Sure it is "quality of life" of life that we pursue, that is why the customer service call center always takes forever to reach. But what do any of these things mean to us if they can be discharged/forgotten without a second thought. We have it all, yet we have none because we easily let the sense of appreciation slip off. Such Obstinate illness of incessant desire for new toy and to complain is disgusting. The haunting loneliness endlessly resides in our hearts and demands for refill.Then isn't human relationship simply another refill? perhaps the difference is that there are endless imperfections in people to be complained or gossiped about.
With all the possessions, we developed a morbid of distrust and prejudice on top of obsession. Let me reveal the internal struggles of a typical US ( as her) in the below situations:
1. A local guy invites her to dance at bar, she freaks out " oh my god! what does he want! he is hitting on me!" In reality, dancing, for most latinos is their passion. They dance with you to share the joy they feel and period. It is amiable, and at times family-oriented as well( kids shuffle at bar with mommy and daddy too!)
2. Strolling down the road, everybody is greeting her with a blooming smile. " oh jesus! these people must be on something! i'd better grab hold of my handbag tightly. Shoot, what am i gonna do if they rob me?" thinks her worriedly.
3. Her puzzled gaze tells you her disorientation, so he walks up to her and tries to guide her the way in broken English. She thinks " oh my god! why is he following me! he must be a pimp or something!"
4. Worse of all, " these poor dudes are just stupid and lazy."
Seriously who do we think we are? I do believe in luck to a certain extend, but i hold reservation. Where we are born is not an option, so it surely is a matter of luck. Some get more opportunities while some don't. Honduras is a resourceful place with one of the best coffee beans productions, full mountains of valuable trees and rivers. Yet the revenue generated fall prey to the inefficient and corrupted government systems and half of the citizens were victimized by the unjust social chasm. Despite the unchangeable, we always have a choice to be happy. We are all different in the first place, but we are all here to strike for a common goal- happiness. We, the privileged, can't even be happy and we make fun of people! What is more staggering is the way fear has been consuming us in all ways.
We sanctimoniously judge others and disguise ourselves because we want to demonstrate ourselves as some better beings. We fear to be looked down so we look down on people. We fear to be harmed, so we build a defensive barrier, so we prejudge, so we hesitate to help. We fear to be surpassed, so we criticize others and bring down competitors. Because he works at Mcdonalds, he has no talent? because he goes to Havard, he is a better person? because he is homeless, he is likely to commit crimes? Blind spot exists, a lot of times is not because we cant see, but because we don't bother to peek out from the windows instead of squinting at the tiny mirror on the side. No one but ourselves programmed our brains to look solely at the picture in front of our eyes. It is an indiscretionary habit that we are brain-washed to practice. Ego causes prejudice; prejudice accounts for fear and skepticism; fear and distrust halt connections. As a result, true happiness can never be fetched. Tell me what is more beautiful than being able to enjoy life without reservation!
Lastly, I do wish to plead innocent on behalf of Honduras who is accused of being "super dangerous", "uneducated", and "uncivilized" under the law of prejudice and ignorance. I would like to contest with my firsthand account. Central America is known for its crazy all-day-all-night fiestas! who doesn't like parties! They party a lot not because they are lazy, but because they cherish contacts with people. In every occasion: birthday, christmas, Easter, etc,., family, neighbors, and even neighbors' friends are invited. In contrast to the purpose of getting wasted and getting laid at the American fret house parties, latin parties are for sharing festive moments with others. Living 15 years in a compacted apartment building of 23 floors in Hong Kong, I didn't even know anybody's name. Suddenly, I felt like I wasted years living in a sealed box, and i felt so deprived from being loved by people outside the box.
Official statistic shows that infamous Honduras has the highest homicide rate worldwide. Even locals would not recommend anyone to roam around certain places. But entire Honduras is dangerous! There are always zones that are less safe in every single country. Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula are the distinctive examples. However, assassinations are mostly involved with gang activity and drug dealing. They are not likely to harm tourists/ innocent people. A lot of places in Honduras are indeed almost like utopia. People are not just helpful, they actually are genuinely interested and care about your story. Like usual, I never researched about a place before visiting ( other than currency info), for I did not want to create a "preexisted image" and deplete the purpose of exploring. So far, I have been guided by one new friend after another to different places.Few days ago, i was alone on a public bus heading to another city. I had no clue where to get off nor what transit to take. Then there came a middle-aged lady squeezing through the narrow space besides me. After a while, we started to talk for a little. A some point, she suddenly stood up and alerted me that was the stop, so i hurriedly reached for my belongings that were scattered everywhere and hopped off. I bent down to collect the trivial stuff that slipped off my hands, and when I raised my chin up, the entire family of that lady was all waiting for me. "Vamos!" They directed to me with big sweet smiles, so I followed them to the transit. The lady's right hand was holding her grand daughter's, and her left hand grabbed on to mine when we were jaywalking the highway. For an instant, my heart was melted with the warmth this lady i barely met transmitted. In this world, many people treat others nicely expecting benefits or future alliances. These people I encountered in Honduras, however, simply wish you enjoy the moment of life just as much as they do.
Comments on civilization.The prevailing belief on Hondurans are all uneducated is an understatement. I met many medical, dental, computer science students in this trip. They are all very bright, ambitious and hardworking. True enough though, there are many people that cant afford the luxury to go to school. Yet, it does not make them uncivilized. A boy as young as 13 years old would walk me to a safe location and stay with me until my friend comes pick me up to ensure my safety ( Geez ! Aren't there university graduates who don't even have basic gentleman manner?) without much euphemistic disguise, words are explicitly expressed. In a way, miscommunication is less common here. I hope our next generation will not inherit our blindness and will look through the story underneath the prejudged stereotype. And I hope one day, we will all be able to trust one another and experience the best part of life!
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