The numbers in Africa are horrifying, but even more so is their impact on human lives, their death and the miserable “quality of life” they suffer every day. While in Costa Rica we are approaching a life expectancy of around 80 years of age, in the African continent we barely reach 47.
I feel bad to be a distant and passive observer. I feel in my heart that I can do nothing to change or improve this misfortune, while a part of me is also pitifully insensitive. Worse still is to know that I am also an observer to many of the problems that are here in our country and even in my canton. It is as much a matter of misery and subhuman conditions, as it is a problem of insensitivity, selfishness and extrahuman passivity. It is as much a matter of distant problems with no apparent solution, as it is of nearby problems with no solution in sight.
Can I make a difference? On some issues I feel the power of a butterfly’s flutter, and on others, I fear I don’t have the ability to move even a wing. For some issues I vibrate with the Nothing is Impossible, as for others I find myself overwhelmed and dominated by the paralysis of inability.
I wholeheartedly admire those who give their lives for others, those who give themselves in full devotion to make a difference, one person at a time. I admire those who fight in Africa, as I admire those who fight in Pavas and Paso Ancho. I admire them and at the same time, in one and a thousand ways, I am ashamed of them, because it is not acceptable to observe the misfortune of others in passivity. Especially when the little we do is only a reflection of a kind of gift to the beggar, and not a legitimate sacrifice of dedication and detachment.
I type here in a hesitant state and with the weight on my shame. With my eyes to the ground and not a little blush, I recognize that I have no commitments other than those of my own contribution to the company, just as I feel that Osa is great as a cause but at the same time insufficient. Rationally I recognize that I cannot go on without a clear action or an idea to contribute directly to others. I type with regret that I am doing nothing for the need of many, and often very few. It is Africa in consciousness, the distant or the near, the black or the Creole.
The causes I defend and the contributions I make are not big enough to hurt or cost, and because of this, I think I can give more. I don’t know what’s next, though no doubt, the moment I move from my reason to my emotion, then I will take action. Before, information only leads me to conclusions. Therefore, I look for the motivations, the energy of emotions, the fuel of a human cause taken on with passion.
How are you doing?
