My life and that of my family have been guided by courage and perhaps a destiny to tell a story. I must now shower with courage in an effort to tell an untold story. The type that burns within but refuses to come out. I know the courage will come, for only then will I be able to smile and say "I did it." I did what I could to help save whatever is left of our precious rain forests. Only then, would I have kept the promise I made to a starving child, who lived under less than human conditions in one of the biggest landfills of my native country of Nicaragua. "Every one tells me they're going to help, but all I really want is for people to know that I exist."
With this blog, I take the first step of courage and begin to walk without turning back towards a world unknown to many but dearly engraved within my soul.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Why do I write?
Many have asked why do I write what I write? My response has been that it is because of my appreciation and respect for LIFE. However, I will elaborate further as to why my writing tends to be very selective. I grew up in the beautiful embrace of the rain forests of Nicaragua. Some say I was fortunate; others know the truth—that it was heaven until it became hell. As a child in that heaven, I enjoyed a world most people only dream of: endless days of riding horses through forests of warm rain…adventures on moonlit nights to the sound of distant jaguar cries. The forest was heaven and home, and then one day that childhood ended. In my new life I would witness one execution after another, pass corpses displayed in the streets, and watch as, day-by-day, the paradise I had known and loved was shattered.
Being that I got a second chance in life as it was my destiny, I became a writer first for therapy and then for passion. Although there are many things I could write about, I have chosen to write about life and for life. My writing is dedicated to preserving our natural resources, particularly the rain forests of the world, describing life the way it truly is: beautiful but fragile, and for war victims, women and orphans leaving in the landfills who are often mis-understood and forgotten.
After being close to death several times as a child, and after losing many of my loved ones, I have concluded that every second that we are alive is priceless. Every life is worth a thought, a memory and a praise. No one's life is meaningless, it is all about the choices we make.
Being that I got a second chance in life as it was my destiny, I became a writer first for therapy and then for passion. Although there are many things I could write about, I have chosen to write about life and for life. My writing is dedicated to preserving our natural resources, particularly the rain forests of the world, describing life the way it truly is: beautiful but fragile, and for war victims, women and orphans leaving in the landfills who are often mis-understood and forgotten.
After being close to death several times as a child, and after losing many of my loved ones, I have concluded that every second that we are alive is priceless. Every life is worth a thought, a memory and a praise. No one's life is meaningless, it is all about the choices we make.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Avatar Depression: Where is the true Pandora located?
According to CNN, some people might be experiencing depression and suicidal thoughts after seeing Avatar. They claim to love the world of Pandora and want to stay there!
We must realize that the real Pandora is in our own world, located in the vast, but rapidly vanishing RAIN FORESTS!
I was blessed to grow up with the enchanting surroundings of the rain forest, located in my father's lands in Nicaragua. I was forced to leave it as one day my paradise became shattered, but while I was there, I took the time to notice it. I then made it my goal to never forget or to let the world forget that our true Pandora is the reason we need to recycle and go GREEN. However, many wonderful people who have traveled to my homeland have seen more than the beauty of the rain forest, they have experienced a life-changing and rude awakening: children living in landfills such as "La Chureca," are currently eating decomposed foods and live under unimaginable conditions were also just a few kilometers away due to necessity or just greed, deforestation without reforestation is taking place.
Perhaps, James Cameron did a great job in creating this masterpiece. If this is what it takes for people to look at their surroundings and GO GREEN, then let it be.
Depression is a commodity that needy people all around the world do not have, simply because they are too busy striving to stay alive. They do not have the luxury to lament. The best cure for depression is to get involved by helping our Earth, our rain forests and humanity as a whole! Only then will we attain the satisfaction that we are in this world for a reason, a destiny worth every single heart beat.
PANDORA EXISTS! Its true name is "THE RAIN FORESTS!" You could live there if you want to or you could visit it. There, you will see neon fireflies, exotic fauna, flora, waterfalls and trees as old or older than one hundred years.
We must realize that the real Pandora is in our own world, located in the vast, but rapidly vanishing RAIN FORESTS!
I was blessed to grow up with the enchanting surroundings of the rain forest, located in my father's lands in Nicaragua. I was forced to leave it as one day my paradise became shattered, but while I was there, I took the time to notice it. I then made it my goal to never forget or to let the world forget that our true Pandora is the reason we need to recycle and go GREEN. However, many wonderful people who have traveled to my homeland have seen more than the beauty of the rain forest, they have experienced a life-changing and rude awakening: children living in landfills such as "La Chureca," are currently eating decomposed foods and live under unimaginable conditions were also just a few kilometers away due to necessity or just greed, deforestation without reforestation is taking place.
Perhaps, James Cameron did a great job in creating this masterpiece. If this is what it takes for people to look at their surroundings and GO GREEN, then let it be.
Depression is a commodity that needy people all around the world do not have, simply because they are too busy striving to stay alive. They do not have the luxury to lament. The best cure for depression is to get involved by helping our Earth, our rain forests and humanity as a whole! Only then will we attain the satisfaction that we are in this world for a reason, a destiny worth every single heart beat.
PANDORA EXISTS! Its true name is "THE RAIN FORESTS!" You could live there if you want to or you could visit it. There, you will see neon fireflies, exotic fauna, flora, waterfalls and trees as old or older than one hundred years.
Haiti
Nicaragua is the second poorest country in the Americas, second to Haiti. These two countries share an unfortunate fate of poverty and now earthquake tragedies. Nicaragua's 1972 earthquake, along with war, greed and corruption left the country devastated and with a heart-shattering calamity. For instance, how can we explain innocent children living in landfills like "La Chureca?" It is my honest belief that as one family that share Mother Earth, we must help each other overcome the perils of misfortune. A single gesture of affection, care and solidarity goes a long way in countries that at times, seem to be forgotten by the rest of the world. As we can see, nothing remains the same, for today we might be on top of the tallest peak and tomorrow we might find ourselves in the abyss of the sea.
Friday, January 1, 2010
What is happiness?
Happiness is transient and is dependent on our personal aspirations and values. Our pursuit for happiness never ends as we might find ourselves switching from happiness to unhappiness from one moment to the next. Based on my personal experience, overall happiness could be stored into our good memories, by trapping every moment of bliss, however small that moment might be.
Happiness like love, must be nourished and protected. We are the sole owners of our happiness and only we can change the things that make us happy or unhappy. Our happiness should be based on our very own feelings—our ability to love and aspirations—our ability to dream without dead ends. As an advocate for war survivors and a survivor myself, I have concluded that in this world, there is much more to laugh than to cry about. Every day we are alive is a reason to smile, every heart beat that takes us closer to the 3 billion heart beats in a lifetime is a reason to feel blessed, and every hug, kind word and kiss we receive from our loved ones is a reason to feel lucky and endlessly happy. Our true happiness depends on us and lies inside our own human spirit. We only need to search inside our souls and if we can’t find it, we need to just look around, particularly at the less fortunate throughout the world and realize that if they are capable of smiling, then so can we.
Overall, true happiness lies in the essence of a positive human spirit. To me there are two kinds of happiness: 1) the type provided by material gains and 2) the type provided by spiritual, emotional and overall self-actualization gains. Both are needed to some extent. Therefore, the key to happiness is simplicity. The simpler the life style and the goals we set for ourselves, the more likely we are to accomplish our goals, and as a result we’ll feel happier with ourselves and our surroundings. This is not to say that we should have a mediocre mentality in order to achieve happiness, in the contrary, we are free to dream and achieve anything we want, just as long as we keep reality alongside.
Happiness like love, must be nourished and protected. We are the sole owners of our happiness and only we can change the things that make us happy or unhappy. Our happiness should be based on our very own feelings—our ability to love and aspirations—our ability to dream without dead ends. As an advocate for war survivors and a survivor myself, I have concluded that in this world, there is much more to laugh than to cry about. Every day we are alive is a reason to smile, every heart beat that takes us closer to the 3 billion heart beats in a lifetime is a reason to feel blessed, and every hug, kind word and kiss we receive from our loved ones is a reason to feel lucky and endlessly happy. Our true happiness depends on us and lies inside our own human spirit. We only need to search inside our souls and if we can’t find it, we need to just look around, particularly at the less fortunate throughout the world and realize that if they are capable of smiling, then so can we.
Overall, true happiness lies in the essence of a positive human spirit. To me there are two kinds of happiness: 1) the type provided by material gains and 2) the type provided by spiritual, emotional and overall self-actualization gains. Both are needed to some extent. Therefore, the key to happiness is simplicity. The simpler the life style and the goals we set for ourselves, the more likely we are to accomplish our goals, and as a result we’ll feel happier with ourselves and our surroundings. This is not to say that we should have a mediocre mentality in order to achieve happiness, in the contrary, we are free to dream and achieve anything we want, just as long as we keep reality alongside.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)