PARADISE MEETS SOOT (November 28, 2011)

One of the nice things about riding the bus is that you get to see so much of the countryside, and even though Panama is a little country, pretty much the same size as Florida, there is a lot of unspoiled countryside.  The reason is that a huge amount of its people live in Panama City! 

Words absolutely cannot even begin to describe the beauty I see here in the countryside.  It is so lush!  The tropical plants and flowers, bromeliads and orchids, air plants abound, rushing water in streams and rivers that are everywhere, waterfalls I have yet to see, the wildlife, the vibrant green mountains rising up out of the lowlands…it truly is a kind of paradise. 

An undeniable part of Panama’s beauty besides, are the human inhabitants.  There is a natural cheerfulness en masse, and thinking about it,  I realized  I had never before seen this trait in a whole people.  It is a certain purposeful energy, a playful gentleness and ready smile…you almost never walk by a Panamanian on the street without getting a nod and greeting, “Buenas Dias, Senora!”  Yes, it is a good day!  Don’t get me wrong, there are the occasional exceptions.  Sometimes people in the shops and restaurants are a little snippy, but over all, there is no denying that the Panamanians are a happy bunch.  Now I will have some good advice for my depressed friends:  Go to Panama.

But in the midst of all this glory there is a sinister lurker that darkens the sky, sullies the air that we breathe here,  and deadens the fresh flower and forest scents that waft all around.  I am talking about vehicle exhaust.  Obviously, there are no smog requirements that need to be met in Panama.  Perhaps even the gasoline is still leaded?  I don’t know but I wouldn’t doubt it.   Luckily, most of the newer cars have catalytic converters from the manufacturers and other exhaust screening devices, but many of the older vehicles don’t.  It’s all too common to see cars and trucks, big ones and small, tractors, etc. spewing ugly black or white smoke behind them.  Anywhere there is the least bit of traffic, the air is thick with it.  What a shame for the senses (which would otherwise be experiencing a cornucopia of blissful scents!), and what a terrible health hazard for the people, especially the children.  We know now that such exhaust is full of particulates and toxins, many implicated in cancer and heart disease.

One of the nice things about traveling is that you have plenty of time to think (while on the bus!) and this whole subject got me to thinking about how many of us in the U.S. are demanding less government, less government, and less government.  I think that is terribly naïve and unwise.  In demanding that, are we not in danger of being the kind of people who will act so rashly that we will not even notice that the baby has gone out with the bath water?  Maybe what we need is not less government, but better government.  Good government had the foresight to demand that car manufacturers outfitted their products to reduce smog.  Good government bans pharmaceuticals that injure and kill people.  Good government balances our free enterprise system.  I am convinced we cannot get rid of government to the extent being called for without disastrous consequences.  But I will admit that the government we have now is not doing its job properly…it is terribly corrupt.  Responsible government must insure clean air, pure water and a healthy planet, without which none of us will thrive, even if we do manage to survive.  Good government must have constant vigilance from the people…but are we up to that responsibility?  Or have we now gone beyond the point where demonstrations and charming, eloquent politicians who promise change have ceased to have any effect at all?  Readers, I would love to hear what you think.

On that note, and hoping that ya’ll will cut me some slack for that little soapbox trick right at the end J,  I’ll just say, see you later alligator!

I have many pictures to post, but that will have to come later, since I forgot to bring my camera cable to the internet cafe where I am posting this.