I have to start with this headline on the front page of
the Bocas bilingual paper “El Visitante / The Visitor”:
“IS IT SOMETHING IN THE WATER? PANAMÁ RANKS HIGHEST IN HAPPINESS”
HAHAHAHAHA. That
irony is so awesome for an environmental health volunteer living in Bocas,
already in her first month having suffered four different water-borne
illnesses. It must be something in the
water.
The survey results are interesting, of course. According to the metrics that the Gallup
pollsters chose, Panama has the highest proportion of happy people in the
world. Living in Quebrada Pastor, I have
to think about this a little bit. The
people here don’t have electricity or cars or even water and latrines – most of
them – yet they do get to drink chocolate almost every day. That’s about the only thing that can be found
in the water – that isn’t water – that makes me happy.
Ángel, one of my community guides, shared an interesting
thought with me. I can’t remember what
we were talking about on one of our long walks up and down the mountains of the
community, but the subject of death came up.
He told me that they always celebrate when a person dies, and that no
one is sad. My reaction was, “Wow,
that’s beautiful that they are able to celebrate a person’s life instead of
mourning their death.” Then he told me
that when a baby is born, no one is happy; everyone is sad. “Why is that?” His response: “The baby is born into a life
of suffering. He has to work and suffer
all his life. After he dies, we
celebrate because he doesn’t have to work anymore.”
This stunned me.
At first it struck me as an incredibly depressing way of looking at
life. But then I began to understand
where this perspective comes from – and why it is so shocking in contrast to my
perspective. After all, I was born into
a world of privilege; our culture celebrates life and cherishes it as a gift
because we have the privilege to do so.
We – many of us in the United States – never have to experience the kind
of suffering that comes with the severe poverty that exists in the communities
where Peace Corps Volunteers work.
It also gave me an appreciation for the strong role of
religion in my community – it becomes easier to see how faith in God can help
people feel some sense of control in otherwise difficult – uncontrollable –
conditions, and how God’s promise for the faithful is such a powerful message.
And, more rationally (perhaps cynically), it gave me an
appreciation for the role that education can play – the ideas of family
planning and sexual health education can be very powerful in giving people more
choice and control in their lives. Fewer
babies, less suffering? Seems like a reasonable
result to me.
And yet, despite this, I return to the idea of
happiness. Much of life may be
suffering, but the people in Quebrada Pastor still hope to improve their lives,
to escape the vicious cycles of poverty, to meet their basic needs and achieve
greater things. Children I talk to want
to be teachers, professors, and doctors.
There are parents who value the education of their children and do everything
they can to ensure that their children have more opportunities than they
did. Willy, my host dad, talks about how
he wants to have no more than two children because having a large family is
irresponsible and uses too many resources.
He – and several other leaders in the community – talk about starting an
ecotourism center in Quebrada Pastor to showcase their organic,
sustainably-grown produce (especially cacao) and to generate additional
income. Most of the community indicates
some understanding of the importance of clean water and proper sanitation to
better health, and the need for the community to work together to achieve this.
And throughout Quebrada Pastor, I see people enjoying
life, and the many gifts the world has to offer – the same views of the sea,
the fruit off the trees, the waterfalls, the brightly-colored tiny frogs, and
the beautiful flowers that strike me as some of the best parts of living here,
they enjoy too. And they talk and laugh
with their families and neighbors (most of whom are also family), and tell
jokes, and play games and sports, and have pipe dreams about getting $10
million and a helicopter, and take interest in the news in the world, and raise
their children, and care for each other.
And now I’m appreciating life all over again. Must be something in the water.
Pictures:
Map-making meeting – seemed to be a success, leading to
some good discussion about the layout and boundaries of the community, the
important places, and the unity within the community that the participants
feel, despite living in spread-out sections divided by family.
Waterfalls!
Learning how to make bags for the first time – and I bought
the pretty blue one sitting on my lap.
Has carried my laundry and limes.
Pollitos!
Taking family pictures – and I got to be included in a
few
More waterfalls!
Every new hike through a different area, there are new discoveries.
View of Renacimiento, a neighboring community
