Corruption begins when we the people are afraid to, or refuse to stand up for what is right, for the truth, for principals and morality. The bully gains power when there is no resistance. When the government becomes corrupt, this leads to corrupt corporations, businesses, and of course individuals. It is inevitable. In this way the circle becomes complete, one entity feeding the other.
We always have a choice, it is a question of what we decide, indecision or lack of involvement is also a choice. This does not solve problems, rather it only creates the opportunity for a tangled mess, one very difficult to undo. Where does it end – ask Venezuela, ask any country overwhelmed by poverty and instability.
In order to help other countries, first we must establish what they need to make there lives better. We have to learn from them – not tell them what we think they should have or do. If it is not in their best interest; the changes we wish to implement, then we have no business interfering in their life. How many times have governments interfered in the name of another country’s well-being only to serve their own interests. If war was a way to solve problems surely by now we would have peace and harmony, no borders and no risk of nuclear disaster. But war has not been the answer. Our soldiers come back with wounds that cannot be healed, wounds insuring the mind cannot find peace. If the decisions made to enlist violent aid to so many countries, is the answer, if embargo’s and restricted access to sharing the wealth is the answer, why are people, the ones who are the most affected by this aid, standing on our doorstep requiring asylum. The impact of decisions made without our knowledge or consent on foreign shores has gone largely unnoticed over the years. But today we see by the sheer numbers attempting to flee their country, to cross borders, those decisions were perhaps not in the best interest of the general population. While we cheer for the jobs created in places like South America as another mine opens, or we celebrate the goods coming from foreign shores allowing us to have our luxuries for low cost, do we consider even for a second what this does to the people of those countries. I think we prefer not to. Of course this is a statement painted with a broad brush; there are many who truly care and do their best to make a difference. Living here however, has taught me what we think and what is reality does not always jive.
I am sure most people I know believe I came here just to have a holiday, not really understanding I came to understand my roots, what happened to me and the reasons why. Whether they are happy with their lot in life, happy with the family they grew up with, or the home of their childhood, most people understand who they are, who their family is knowing where they were born. There is not much mystery to their lives and they are hopefully free to make choices when they are old enough to do so. Learning the totality of who we are as a person, is the mystery we all try to solve. The struggle to understand this mystery for myself is why I came here. My life was not so simply laid out, the world I lived in made no sense to me as I struggled to put the pieces together. I am here to justify my existence, knowing there was much more to my life than I had been told growing up..
Everyone has a story, one which can help to guide another if we choose to share it. I have been told I am brave for telling my story, because there are many who have shared a similar fate, but are too afraid to share what happened. I can understand, as I have lived so much of my life in fear. For me it was the unknown, realizing things weren’t right, but having no understanding of why. How does one go about telling their story, when they do not have all the information? How do you tell this story when you cannot prove what you learn in the end? Well, the truth is not difficult to accept when its easily proven, it is that which we cannot prove which challenges our conscience and encourages us to delve further into the mysteries of life. While I’m still dealing with the fear, things have changed in recent years, but even for me as I live through this story, cannot be easily accepted. While I may not be able to explain what I feel, I believe we know the truth, proven or otherwise, it is part of our being and cannot be denied.
I feel different here, not able to recognize who I became in my other life, strange as that sounds. When I look in the mirror these days, I am comfortable with the person I see, the face I saw in the past unrecognizable to me. The changes which make this possible did not happen on the outside, my looks have not changed in any particular way. The changes happened on the inside as I have grown from the experience of being part of the world I came from., absorbing the energy of the land, the people and learning from what they experience in life. Those changes on the inside have made the person on the outside more recognizable. Since the “Dark Night of the Soul” I feel the growth of strength and purpose. The point now is to find a way to fulfil this.
Can I face my dragon? Can I stand up against the bully who controlled my fate? Just how far would someone or or some group of people go to hide the truth of my existence? In whose best interest did this decision get made? It was not mine, this is for sure! While I have made great strides to heal the wounds of my mind, I have wondered over the last few weeks, if I can ever truly recover from the experiences of my past.
Something to consider; the introduction of Klause Barbie into the story of Che Guevara’s capture. Perhaps the real reason Che could not win the fight in Bolivia…..Will we ever learn the truth about historic events that changed our lives? When corruption rules, the truth is hidden, sometimes for good.
https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2007/dec/23/world.secondworldwar https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/sep/10/bolivia-germany
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