Better being rich than poor

What is the value of a person's life? That is a complex question. A few days ago, while at the wake of a person dear to me, next door the funeral of Margarita Gómez was taking place. Margarita had been murdered in the region of Cordoba (Northwest Colombia) (Link in Spanish) in early January. A packed church and a swarm of reporters trying to inform the public of the progress of the ceremony (and that of Mateo Matamala, her boyfriend, both students at Bogota's most prestigious university, murdered at the same time) showed the concern of a society for their families and the lack of sense behind such a crime. While Margarita was fare-welled by her family and friends, the President anounced (Spanish) a reward of 500 million pesos (about USD$300,000) for information conducive to the capture of those responsible for this crime.

Besides the philosophical discussion about the virtues of using rewards as a mean to solve crimes like these, it is remarkable to see the haste by the authorities to find the causes and people responsible for such an absurd crime. However, in a country where victims are in the thousands, why isn't there the same apparent haste when the victim is a peasant, the unemployed, or anyone else from a common background? This is a country where people with means live in a different country to people without them; a country where health, education and justice are as readily available as fat is one's bank account. A country where the support and recognition to victims of violent acts is inversely proportional to their place in a perverse social pyramid; a country of ill-fated bubbles.

Without trying to diminish the importance of giving justice to the families of Mateo and Margarita, we can only wish all victims of violence had the same support from the authorities. Our society badly needs a justice system that values the life of everybody, that works for everybody, that helps transform a country of invisible victims and powerful victimizers into a country with opportunities for all and hope for the future. A country worth transforming, not fleeing from.

Now the government announces its “unbreakable commitment” to eliminate those criminal mobs that operate in the region of Cordoba. Unbreakable only after the death of two innocent but high-society victims? Where was that commitment at the time of the murder of tenths of other victims? Well, it wasn't there yet because in this country, even after death, is better to be rich than poor. 

Transcendence

There are a few questions we all ask at one time or another through our lifes:

What is going to happen when I am no longer in this world?

What is waiting for me “at the other side”?

When will I cease existing (being)?

OK, I'll admit to it the first one is a tricky question. It depends on what we have done, but it boils down to not much: there will be pain and sorrow amongst those who love us, a few headaches (bigger or smaller depending on our ability to sort out our earthly affairs), but in general the world will keep on going around-and-around and the impact of our death will fade away as do the ripples after the pebble sinks in the water.

The second question is trickier because is based on faith. Nobody knows for certain what (if there is anything at all) waits for us at “the other side”, and whatever each person believes is their own and the result of conscious or subliminal decisions. The fact is trying to answer this question has resulted in wars, deaths and also acts of courage. And since this discussion never gets anywhere, we may as well leave it there.

The third is the interesting question. To know when will we cease existing (being) we need to separate our physical existence from a transcending existence. The physical existence ends when we die. And, when will that happen? Nobody knows. To die we just need to be alive and that is a common characteristic of everyone reading these lines. Hence, there is no point in worrying about it; “Live as if you are about to die, but be ready for tomorrow” has been my motto and it has worked well so far.

On the other hand, what would transcending existence be? Is that I cause and that goes beyond my physical entity: my children, the consequences of my actions and the ideas I make happen. Is that for which I am remembered. And I believe transcendence -and immortality- lies in the ability to be remembered long after our physical existence has come to an end. That is where we can make a difference and live for ever in this world.

That is why I invite you to transcend and for your actions to make you live for ever in the hearts of those you have touched; to make your ideas reality, to improve our world and maybe, just maybe, live for decades or centuries; to make our children a reflection of our positive qualities and to grow up with the tools to transcend themselves. I invite to start being immortal from today.

--This entry honors the memory of Angela Hernandez, who passed away last week and of whose transcendence I am a witness

Someone stole our stuff!

This entry should have been written towards the end of June, but at the time we were too busy and there was no time for blogging. But since this is the story of our return to Colombia, this is a chapter that has got to be written.

It was Friday, the 25th of June. We had organized with the customs broker (whom was going to deliver all our stuff coming from Australia to our house) to deliver the move first time on Saturday morning. But then we got a call from the managing director of the company to tell us that…. Wait. Not everybody knows our process to try and bring our things to Colombia.

When we made the decision to return, we decided to move back only the most important stuff. Why? Because bringing household items back to Colombia (and especially from Australia) is unbelievably expensive. First, Colombian law specifies a levy of almost 30% (15% flat tax and 14% VAT) on the valuation of the items. Additionally there are clear –though arbitrary (for example, one can bring three a/c units, but only one computer, one typewriter (seriously?), or one TV set)- rules on what items a Colombian citizen trying to reside back in the Country can brought in. I naively thought wanting to come back to “chip-in” for the country was an idea supported by the government. Someone even told me there was actual policy on trying to bring back to Colombia “runaway brains”. But it was not correct. The letter of the law reads like every citizen trying to come back is trying to smuggle household items into the Country. Colombia has a culture of evading the law and that makes you feel treated as a potential criminal for following the rules and regulations. In here one is guilty until proven otherwise. Why would someone –after living overseas for over two years- want to smuggle some second hand items in? Wouldn’t it be possible people were trying to continue with their lives? Anyway, there was also the fact that finding information about moving back to the country was a challenge. The consulates don’t really help, information is scarce, difficult to understand and, sometimes, even contradictory. Second, shipping stuff into the country is very expensive. About US$1,000 –by sea- per cubic meter from Sydney to Bogota, and an important part of the freight was the Buenaventura (a seaport in the Pacific Ocean) to Bogota leg.

Therefore, we decide to sell or give away most of our stuff and chose to bring only what had sentimental value or what was going to make the girl’s settling easier. Travel mementos, books, pictures, almost all of Emma’s bedroom, presents received, toys, etc. If it was valuable to us it was in one of the thirteen boxes. If it wasn’t it was left back in Australia. And then, after the priceless help of our friend Gloria to have everything safely packed, on March 20^th the company picked up the move from our house in Sydney. ETA into Bogota: End of May.

Our stuff actually made it into Buenaventura at the end of May. After going through the customs inspection and nationalization process (essentially payment of the levy) the shipment was ready to be sent to Bogota on June 20^th. As the presidential elections were held on June 21^st across the country, the broker decided –for security reasons- to delay transport for a few days. And on June 24^th the truck left Buenaventura towards Bogota, where it was expected about noon on the 25^th. And it did made it to Bogota: a couple of kilometers inside the city a group of people wearing army uniforms stopped the truck, dropped off the driver and stole it. And with it all of our stuff; it made a 15000 Kilometer trip to be lost four or five kilometers from its destination.

This is where we go back to the call from the manager of the customs broker. It was Friday afternoon and we were driving into a local mall when the mobile rings and she tells us the news. Our reaction? Baffled first, then incredulity and some anger, followed by deep sadness and helplessness. Who would want to steal our clothes? Where will our wedding pictures going to end up? Are they going to use the girls’ cot? Etc. Also, is someone going to use our documents to commit some type of fraud? (Every confidential piece of paper was in one of the boxes) . We only wanted to come back to help, hopefully make a difference. That is why we ask: Does anyone have an idea of why this happened to us?

Bubbles

We all live a different reality. Influencing factors like culture, education and the environment tend to homogenize realities across individuals with common backgrounds, but can also create chasms from small differences. That explains why some totalitarian regimes spend so much effort in crushing dissidents; they do create the cracks that break open the reality to their fellow citizens. But today’s purpose is not to go into such touchy and complex subject. It is to talk a bit more about the reality we choose for ourselves.

As I mentioned in my previous post (The Trough of Disillusionment) right now our reality is not what we expected or wanted. Our point of view is biased by our experiences overseas, and mainly by the fact we became parents in a different culture, where respect towards others is a daily occurrence and is understood as a building block for a better society. And since parenthood is arguably the largest change a person goes through in their lifetime, our reality changed completely in October 2007. That may be why it is so difficult for us to reconcile the idea we had of Colombia with what we have found.

What we have found is a society (like all, but greatly magnified) with many realities. But in this particular case we can equate realities with bubbles. Each person lives in his or her own bubble and believes that is the extent of the world. “It happens everywhere” some would say; that is correct, but here the bubble becomes and armor to protect and isolate oneself from the world. Furthermore, it obscures mi view and the less I see outside the better my bubble is. That is why, for me, Colombia is not a country with 40 million people; it is a region with 40 million bubbles. Every person wants things their own way only, and would only open their bubble to let in the people they care about. That is way an unknown Colombian is rude, intolerant and lacks culture. But as soon as we open up our bubble and let you in we become warm, lovely, interesting and good friends. The best thing that can happen to you when in dire straits is to have a Colombian friend at your side; the worst is to have an unknown Colombian in front of you.  Some of these words may sound harsh, but are not far from the truth, unfortunately.

I don’t want my bubble to become obscure. I want to keep knowing that my acts have consequences to other people, that from my actions derive the reactions I get; that in the same way I look up to some people living better than I do I should not forget there are millions that live worse off; that we all need to chip in to make a better world. I don’t want to forget that treating others with due respect and generosity make a better society. What I don’t know right now is if I can survive in this culture without letting my bubble become obscure. And that is a dilemma that tears my heart in half. But I know I want to keep popping bubbles, helping others see further than what is evident. And to do that I need to –everyday- keep a clear view which should solve my dilemma. 

Anyway, Do you know how obscure is your own bubble?

The Trough of Disillusionment

How to avoid drawing comparisons between our professional life and our day-to-day experiences?

For those of us in the technology arena the Expectations Curve in Technology by Gartner Group may be familiar. This curve essentially shows the life-cycle of a new technology from the moment it is created through its maturity. It is shown below.

It may be a little bit theoretical or even esoteric. Furthermore, how is it related to this blog? Well, it relates to everything and nothing. Here I don’t talk about technology; I talk about a life decision that has taken us through a very “interesting” –to say the least- process. And the likeness of the curve and our process has been eerie.  

As those of you reading these entries from the beginning would know (see: When a decision is made), certain events in our life and a decision-making process made us start walking this path. That point in time can easily be equated to the “Technology Trigger”. Once the decision was made and we started working towards it we started climbing the Peak of Inflated Expectations, which had been inflated a lot by us dreaming of creating opportunities and triggering change. And, as the curve predicted, we are now at the bottom of the Trough of Disillusionment. Right here:  

We have had bad experiences, there are times when our professional goals seem completely and utterly out of reach, there are some other times when this city’s culture and way of living clashes head-on with ours, and also times when it seems no change is possible. Times when all that is left is for us to think: What was I thinking? Who was I kidding when I made this decision? Was I high? 

Fortunately we set aside a large window of time to invest in this effort, and we hope there will be light at the end of the tunnel. I hope we will start climbing the slope of enlightenment at some point in time, and eventually become productive. But meanwhile, where can I get whatever got me high while I was in Australia?

Back after a while

I have not posted anything since April. Settling in Colombia has been interesting and busy, and there are many things to tell. Hopefully someone is still reading!

The falacy of fear

We all have different fears. From insignificant ones that are no more than a passing distraction to phobias that have the potential to wreak people’s lives. Feeling fear is a human characteristic, but our decision on how to face it is what differentiates people from one another.
 
Some people choose not to face it. Even more, they do whatever they can to avoid their fears. They organize their lives around avoiding potential fearful situations and make themselves believe they are doing the best for their lives. It may be true in some cases, but I bet they generally are missing the opportunity to live a more fulfilling life.

Other people appear not to have fear. They appear fearless, infallible, mighty and with the capacity to face anything. I am sure some are fearless, but most of them just hide behind that mask to prevent some insecurities from coming to the surface. Some of them will crumble when the circumstances align against them.

The rest of us live somewhere between those two extremes. Depending on what our fears are some people will see us as fearless, other will think us weak or cowards. But what matters is how we see ourselves. The only fears that can defeat us are those we are unable to face. Those we feed by deciding (consciously or unconsciously) are too big for us. Those we feed by avoiding.

For a long time I feared starting my own business. Being independent. I cherished the comfort of knowing where the next paycheck will come from, the innumerable excuses explaining why this isn't the right moment, the convenience of believing that latter things will be more suitable. The truth is things will only suit when I decide they will. The truth is fear can only be conquered when you look into its eyes. In my case, I don't know if this adventure will be successful or not, but I know I am already a winner. I have conquered one of my fears. And what about you? What is it you fear?