Walking down the twisted warped sidewalks of Panama city where the very land this metropolis was built upon rejects it like a failed liver transplant, it is hard not to think on the paradox that is Panama. The country sits on a fountain of life. Each tree, flower, spider, bee screams to the glory of their chaotic existence. And in that sweet chaos, a cacophony of beauty thrives. It is a place where no death is wasted no life meaningless. A place where it can be hard to distinguish land from the night sky on account of the infinite spider eyes twinkling just as the stars. And in the midst of this wondrous explosion of creation lies a people disconnected. It is commonplace to discard trash wherever the perpetrator see fit, the government has no waste collection and until recently had the audacity to dump raw sewage directly into the Pacific ocean. It is baffling to see a people with so little regard for such a wonderful place. I know full well this disconnected may not be the norm, but I also understand a group is defined by its extremes. Whichever the case, majority or minority, the trees are still littered with the rotting carcases of discarded grocery bags the sidewalk festooned with broken glass. At times it can be overwhelming; as the unknown sledge of unknown origin trickles down over your sandled foot, it can make you want to shout to all who will listen, “Can you not see? Can you not see the world you are creating? Can you not smell the waste you have produced? Can you not hear the wind through the tree’s new plastic flower? Can you not touch the glass which threatens your children? Can you not feel your impending fate?”
[singlepic id=4968 w=320 h=240 float=right]But in this wild frustration hope can still be found. A seed planted in the jungled valleys east of the city. A seed as wonderful as the land that nurtures it. And as this seed grows to a seedling, a sapling, an Oak, change will spread. Land will no longer be looked at with confusion and disconnect. The people will forge a bond and will begin to apprehend the intricacies and wonders of their home. This Oak of enlightenment will branch and flower and provide. Under its shade great thinkers will gather and create, artists will find their muses, dreamers their footing. In this torrent of apathy and wondrous brio as seed grows an idea grows a renaissance grows.