Life itself is beautiful; however, there are many obstacles that must be overcome or passed, and each one of those, especially those that result when we make a mistake, is an experience that we must learn from to be a better person. Not everyone takes it that way. As human beings, we act in different ways; however we sometimes ponder how people can survive in a country where there is a lot of poverty, when it is not seen by those with power. In other words, the leaders of the elite class, of the wealthy class, the class that dominates the country’s economy, don’t realize it; they can’t see, for they are so high up the pyramid and they can’t look down. These people are the ones who have the country or countries in vile poverty, but they don’t care. They only care for themselves, their friends, and relatives, so that they can continue to hold onto that power.

Power is very nice, but it is unhealthy, since the others suffer due to the indifference about the obligation/responsibility that those of the great hierarchies have. I want to give as example a personal experience of mine that many know of or have experienced themselves. Belize is a beautiful place where many people want to come and live. The majority of those individuals that come to live here are good persons, while others are not. Nonetheless, when a country opens its doors to grand tourism, it receives all sorts of people and, among them, there are those who are thieves, corrupt, etc. On the other hand, there are those who help those in need, because they see for themselves that the officials who have the responsibility don’t fulfill it. I had a very interesting experience in Cancun when it was hit by the hurricane Gilberto and many countries sent all kinds of different items for those who were affected. A fairly large airplane had arrived from the United States with merchandise to distribute to the people, but those who brought it wanted to personally distribute it to the inhabitants who were in need; however, the government at that time did not allow it. What was wrong about these Americans wanting to distribute directly to the needy ones? There was nothing wrong with it, but those in power did not allow it. Why? Because the items that were donated by many countries, instead of giving it to people in need, they sold it. When they told me that they were selling things at the Integral Development of the Family (DIF – Desarrollo Integral de la Familia), I personally went to purchase some items, to see if it was true, and indeed it was the case. However, the American airplane that I had referred to, did not leave the things to the corresponding authority; instead they returned back to the U.S. with all the merchandise.

Here in Belize, many Belizeans have experienced something similar. Here, as in many other places, there are privileges; there is no equality, it does not exist. Equality exists between the small groups of the hierarchy and the elite class; they help each other. But poor people are always looking for a way, although obviously, there is already talk here that it no longer exists. Almost everyone has a job, but those who walk in the street, those who have friends, I can mention one, like my friend Alfredo Sanchez, who is lying on his bed and cannot move, he does not receive the help he should as a human being. He is sick. He is not in bed because he wants to, but because of a disease that he has which is incurable here in Belize. In Belize we do not have the specialists, nor the medication for such illness. However, in Cuba there is, and Belize has a very good relationship with Cuba. For most of his life he has been a soldier for the People’s United Party, and is well known from the Prime Minister to the lowest of the pyramid, but there he is lying in a little room waiting to see who can give him a plate of food or who can help him. That little nonsense of pension that he receives is not even enough for a couple of weeks for the basic basket of food items.

I am using the name of a friend, a single person. But if we investigate the entire situation in which the country of Belize finds itself, we will find many like Alfredo Sánchez. Who cares? Nobody. But I go to another point. My point is, how do people survive? There are different kinds of people in economic situations. The middle class is the class that has a good job, earns very good money. There are poor people, people who catch and kill, others who have a job for a day or two a week which is not enough to survive. $5 an hour is a shame, it is an insult to the intelligence of the people. I am also an inhabitant of this country; I also go to the store to buy. There are those who believe that the increase of $5 an hour can support a family. Why don’t you pay yourself that $5 an hour to see if you can sustain yourself? Besides, you don’t need it, for you are wealthy. In addition, it is an honor to serve your nation (su patria). But I’m not going that way. I’m trying to understand how people can survive.

We constantly listen on the radio and hear people ask for help to purchase medications or to pay for surgeries that cannot be done here in Belize; instead those specialists are either in Chetumal, Merida, Guatemala, etc., and they cannot pay because they owe thousands and thousand of dollars to take out their loved ones. How do they do it? Many families and friends join together to make food sales to gather some funds, either to buy medicines or pay the hospital bills in foreign countries. I’m also in my bed, and I don’t move, but this little thing I have in my hand is called a cell phone; they call and tell me things that I already know. I have been living here in Belize for 30 years now, and during those years I have heard, seen, and know. I have heard so many discourses that they make and so many things that they promise the people but have not been achieved. Now they are undergoing a reform of the Constitution, and a country cannot exist without workers. The working class are treated like slaves. Yes, they are slaves of modern times, of large corporations, of private companies. If they can’t afford to pay employees, then close your business. Without workers, nothing can be done. They have in mind to plant a bunch of nonsense when you need to eat. Right now we have a pretty big problem in the world, at the global level, where the great powers are fighting to see who is going to stay, as usual, to dominate the world, while there is another group which says that no one should dominate the world, but that everyone should be free to sell their product at a good price because everyone has the right to live well.

I don’t know if I’ll live to see what the end will be. If we will have a Third World War or if those of the power that wanted to be the only power in the world begin to let go. Those are the only ones who are talking about the nuclear bomb. Well, for my part, let them activate it; nevertheless, young people and children don’t want that, they also have the right to live. Anyway. That is not my point. My point is that people have to raffle this or that, which is also against the law, because they need permission to do so. For what? To get a little money to buy medicines, while there are others who have to beg. Yes, because even the family does not help, nor are they interested; one becomes a nuisance, while there are other families that are united, help each other, and have friends who also help them to get that money to save the life of a human being, of a loved one. People suffer. But when they make their trips and go to Corozal, Orange Walk, Belize, Cayo, Toledo, Stann Creek, they don’t visit these people. No. They don’t visit the people who are in need the way George Price did. That system is not practiced anymore.

Get off your throne from where you are and go to the houses of people who are sick, physically, mentally sick. Speaking of the mentally ill, I know a lady who goes to the clinic to take her injections every month; she doesn’t have enough to eat. I listen to those women organizations that say that they fight for the rights of their gender. I wonder, what women are they referring to? Because the one I know doesn’t even have money to eat. Perhaps they help the privileged ones, because I know a sick woman who walks the streets begging; well, she is well-known to people, asking to buy a loaf of bread and a tin of sausage to take home to eat. I ask myself, the system has a lot of workers, I’m sure they can set up a poll, investigate house by house to see what is needed. However, it has already been done; all that information is already there, because just a few months ago, there were brigades set up throughout the country doing statistics. However, all those speeches that I listen to, where they are helping the most needy ones, I do not see it, because the ones that I know who are elderly, children, women and men in need, receive no help. Not the ones who are in good health, strong, who can get up and go to work, I don’t mean those. I mean people who can’t, but have the right to live, not to have their lives taken away due to lack of medication or food.

Their mouths fill up with countries like the United States, where they have trillions of dollars to spend on war but have 50 million poor people, who have nowhere to live or eat. And don’t say that Belize relatively recently got her independence and she is young. Where is all the money for 42 years? Where is it? Many of us know, it’s in our mind, but we don’t have the proof to prove it, but we know it because we see, we hear. Heck, no one can have a big business or be a partner in a big company without their name appearing just like that. There are systems that exist where money enters, the people’s money. Yes, I have 80 years of experience on this earth, not only here in Belize, I have lived in another country and I have seen how they have looted, not only the people’s money, but also the wealth that belongs to the indigenous people, who are in private houses, which are taken out of the country and smuggled into their country. There is so much corruption that exists; it is huge. Where is the painting of the temple of Santa Rita? Does anyone know where it is located? Because I haven’t seen it. I remember that as a child I used to play inside that temple and I never saw the painting. I first saw it in the book Chilam Balam. Where is it located? Who has it? And like that, there is a lot that has left this country. How does it come out? How does it enter the other country? In the same way the drugs enter, leave and enter. It passes and goes to the country that needs it. It’s a shame. But even with all that disgust, life is precious. God bless Belize and the good and needy people. Traitors, burn in hell!!!

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June 2, 2023
Finca Solana
Corozal Town