Conflicting Principals = The Principle of the Matter
(Reflections from volunteering in El Alto, Bolivia)

Hypocrisy is a defining characteristic of he human species. No human yet has placed in harmony their words and actions without flaw. Although it is possible to reduce the incongruities between spoken word and actual action, it takes personal sacrifice and commitment. For a die hard idealist, no differential exists between the importance of carrying out their ideals in either the public and private spheres of their society. The commitment of an idealist to their staunch ideals transcends socially constructed boundaries of a ¨home¨ world and ¨work¨ world because idealists understand a societies limitations as an all-pervasive epidemic.

In my brief lifetime, I have seen that those with the integrity to consistently uphold ideals in all spaces and crowds, are the most harshly criticized by fellow citizens. Why? I believe the reason is because of their disregard for socially constructed boundaries and the corresponding threat posed to normative society and daily life. A challenge to normative lifestyles is often perceived as a very threat to the fabric holding together the established order of a given society. Such a challenge is often feared because people fear even the mere idea of anarchy, associating anarchy with chaos and violence that is capable of completely dismanteling their life. And in a world where the international market is dictated by competitive capitalism, so are the lives of individuals. Dictated by competitve capitalism people seek security for themselves first. After security in their own personal life is established, they then seek to secure their extant security which, on a macro-scale means fighting for change via alternative ideals is extraordinarily difficult. Change is almost impossible from without the system, but truly impossible from within until there is a massive shift in a societies philosophical current.

For some, ¨idealist¨ is an inherently pejorative term while, for others it is an inherently positive term. However, when individual interests and prejudices are stripped away, the basic essence of the word remains neutral. To be or label a person as an ¨idealist¨ is nothing more than to be or label that person as someone who has high ideals. I maintain the word has an evasive and inherently neutral definition precisely because the word ¨high¨ is itself vastly open for interpretation. To have ¨high¨ ideals could mean merely to have ideals one works hard to maintain, or it could be to have a specific set of ideals. For example, a particular ideal regarded as high by an Evangelical Christian of monogamy may be regarded as ¨high¨ and applied as a universal standard with which to categorize people as ¨evil¨ or ¨good¨. But beyond such a judgement remains the reality that for other people, such as the Morman religion, polygamy was traditionally highly held ideal (in the sense it was regarded as important to the Morman lifestyle and identity). The definition of the word therefore remains ambiguous which in turn enables the word´s use as either a complement for or a weapon against any human being one does not feel adequately meets their same ¨high ideals¨ or in other words, someone who doesn´t ¨meet their standards¨.
We have all experienced judgement and criticism in our lives. Anyone who has at least once gone against the grain by remaining firmly committed to an alternative opinion has experienced criticism. For ¨idealists¨ and/or ¨romantics¨, ¨alternative opinions¨ often manifest into ¨alternative visions¨ to which their whole life becomes dedicated. Persistent harsh and collective scrutiny from others often are the corresponding manifestation. The internationally recognized contemporary central iconic idealist of Latin America is Ernesto ¨Che¨ Guevara. But of course, myriad other´s exist. Other grandiose historical idealists range from George Washington to Emma Goldman, Mahatma Ghandi to Adolf Hitler.

A common critique of ¨idealists¨ is based on disbelief in any pragmatic possibilities growing out of an idealistic philosophy. This criticism/assumption develops a philosophical impasse between the perceived idealist and the criticizer. However, if we allow ourselves to take a step back we see the basic and essential foundation of said impasse. Stated baldly, the perceived irreconcilability of philosophical beliefs (idealism is pragmatic or not) arises because of a contingent belief one´s own theoretical practices are not only valid, but ¨correct¨ and universally ¨applicable¨. A belief one´s own ethics not only can be, but are, objectively correct and absolute, inherently render the differing ethics of another as false and obsolete. The important question stemming from this is, historically how successful have humans been when imposing moral principles to politics and other political systems? How many wars have been caused, how many embargoes have been raised because the moral principals a nation has applied to philisophically divergent political systems, are perceived to be in contradiction to the point a nation feels threatened by the mere philosophy of another? With norms and values embedded in any political or governmental system creates an ethics-bound citizen, a citizen obliged to follow certain morals. However, when ethics or morals are assumed to be universally valid and politically correct and then confront an alternative set of ethics or morals, wars can happen, oppression can happen, and many other disasters that are completely avoidable. I contend it is not the philosophy that is the core issue but rather people´s perception and presumption a basic ontological truth exists.

It is unclear how individuals are capable of completely developing a new political tradition when they themselves exist within the confines of that tradition. Such individuals are trying to criticize a system from which they themselves came from in the first place. It is almost impossible to envision a complete separation of a person from their society as possible. But what is crucial to keep in mind is that ethics are to be created rather than simply discovered. All ethics are human inventions, which mean they can in fact be destroyed and recreated. So, of course, can the international trend of universal application of one's own ideals and politics as the standard and norm.

Working in El Alto I have seen the direct and real effects being considered an ¨idealist¨ can have. Two years ago the project was spearheaded by former ¨street child¨ and now licenced anthropologist Don Angel. Originally granted a $25,000.00 stipend through the democratic initiatives program of USAID, Proyecto Por Un Mundo Mejor´s pockets are jingling with the minimal change left from that donation. USAID, one of the largest and oldest development assistant programs throughout the world and in Bolivia, soon after actually pulled out of Bolivia as a donor. Regardless, it is my belief donation´s are band-aids. It is also my belief that donation´s can often prove a sufficient economic buffer period during which an organization can secure permanent or more long-term funds. So despite two-years of existence (June 22 was the anniversary), a well-established recycling program (and one of the only in the region), a significant population in need of their services, opening of a bread store, commissioned artisan projects, and a program to create greeting cards, why can´t the volunteers of those at Proyecto Por Un Mundo Mejor provide the participants dinner, why do all volunteers remain completely unpaid? One of my principal suspicions is Don Angel´s adherence to his alternative and strong ideals.

Don Angel has written numerous letters to his government, solicited churches, knocked on doors of well-known donors or other NGO's, but has bee ignored or turned down time after time. Many challenges face Don Angel in this quest: the newness of the program, the existence of several similar but older projects, the fact all who work there are volunteers, and I believe, his ideals. Don Angel's dream and ultimate goal is to build a sustainable home that provides cabins for small groups of kids to live in with a single volunteer as a family. He wants livestock and a garden, education programs, access to medical services, sexual/reproductive health programs, resources for the kids to seek education and work, and an education program on how to be a responsible father. Not many would objectively disagree with those goals. All of those goals are oriented towards actively fighting for and raising the standards of human rights and dignity. So for me, it was at first befuddling that Don Angel could not secure more funds. I figured there was a missing piece of information I did not know about. I was curious and only became more curious with time as I witnessed the growth of the kids and the serious commitment of Don Angel and the other volunteers. After 5 months of working with this population and getting to know Don Angel on a personal level, as well as learn more about the political systems in Bolivia, I now believe one of the principal obstacles to Don Angel's securing funds are his ideals.

It is not Don Angels ideals per say that are the trouble, but rather the ideas he has on how to carry out his ideals. He has realized that many organizations do not want to offer assistance unless also given permission to impose their own belief of what is best for the kids (in other words, how the money should be used). Many doubt Don Angel's programs as the best way possible to help these abandoned children. Many suggestions are given such as abstinence education, teaching the kids the bible, or kicking kids out if they are ever caught using alcohol or drugs. But what most of these donors do not have that Don Angel does have is an entire childhood's experience as a street child in Bolivia. Now, as an adult who has a university degree in anthropology, Don Angel faces the same challenge of being disrespected, untrusted, and alone amongst his peers. Yet those who do work with Don Angel are there to stay. I personally became more involved than I had anticipated because I saw how much love and care Don Angel transmitted within his shelter, and wanted to be part of that creation. I also saw how willing the kids are to work to improve their situation, their lives, and the lives of others. Towards the end of the stay the kids and I completed a zine together about their experiences. At first I doubted if I could motivate the kids to partake in the project, let alone communicate to them why I thought is was important, but once they became involved, several personal uncensored stories were told. From personal accounts of huffing to personal accounts of prostitution, the kids wanted to honestly share their stories in the hopes that any potential reader might now not nly believe their story, but why they deserve assistance and why Don Angel deserves to be respected and believed as a leader. But in a society where it is normal that street kids get hit by a police man in passing, where the president defines the "landless" sectors of his society with a total exclusion of homeless kids, and a school system where kids cannot enter without a birth certificate their unknown parents may have, it is clear there is a social aversion to this population. It is no grand surprise that the most successful NGO's that deal with this population are NGO's whose core philosophy is based on "cleaning up", "providing morals for", "proselytizing", or "changing" the kids who walk through their dorrs. DOn Angel's philosophy is much simpler: provide love, affection, and a support system from which each individual can build themselves and grow. He's more like a parent than anything else which I think makes perfect sense when dealing with a population whose main challenge is exactly that, having no parent to guide them or love them. In my mind, a five year old will benefit much more from a loving touch than the Lord's prayer.

Part Three: Machu Picchu, Blessed with Truth

It´s extremely difficult to write about Machu Picchu without over-dosing the reader on cliches. Most at one time were original and interesting descriptions. Within the chamber of time, however, truthful original statements become mundanities. The truth that underlies must cliches makes it tough to escape the writing-plague of the cliche doldrums and come up with an original description. Most cliches about Machu Picchu are totally deserved and valid which leaves me strapped and bound o the table of writer's block.

Many have advised me just to write from the heart. But when the words wiggle their way out of y heart and out of my hand onto paper, they are nearly always cliches, and certainly always trite. Through this struggle I've realized that squandering desperately to come up with an original metaphor or description for the incomprehensible beauty of Machu Picchu would be to commit an act of vanity. To feign I could do justice to the mystical terrain of Machu Picchu with original sentences and words would be to deceive myself. The difficulty of relaying the magic of Machu Picchu is no boorish lack of inspiration, but rather an admittance of the impossibility to capture the astonishing accomplishments of a yet mysterious civilization within written word. The fact is, Machu Picchu is astonishing and it is ultimately irrelevant how many ineffective or effective descriptions I write. No matter what, much will be lacking and left out.

So, here goes:

Participating in a guided tour at Machu Picchu was informative, but I by far preferred ambling around uncontrolled by the dictates of time after the tour's completion. For me, the main benefit of the tour was orientation within the ruins that later would allow me to tarry with confidence. During the tour we visited several distinct areas of the ancient sacred city. The ruins that were once a city preserved for the most prestigious members of Incan society include separate agricultural, ceremonial, residential, etc. sectors.

Once the tour was over though, more questions boomed in my brain than before the tour had began. By the end of my entire stay in Cuzco, after visits to several ruins, I remained with the impression that no history book or guide is capable of giving a complete picture of the Incan civilization and it´s history. The more you learn, the more you realize how much you actually do not and never will know. Ultimately each person becomes engaged in deducing for themselves what they do and don´t choose to believe. The many myths surrounding Machu Picchu: the possibilities of secret tunnels between sacred cities, or of other undiscovered sacred cities, teases the likes of the strictly methodical as well as the likes of the dreamers of the possible to discover some firm ground for conjecture.

Ultimately I found my own personal vacillation between the truths and possible truths of the Incan Civilization and their remains the most engaging part of Machu Picchu. The amount of questions that still surround a civilization so recently eliminated (although of course Incan descendants still remain an active part of Peruvian/Ecuadorian/Bolivian culture) are a testament to the complex sophistication of that culture.

As Eli and I perused the ancient Incan streets of Machu Picchu, the flawless masonry was first to grab my attention. Incan masonry displays a certain aesthetic and structural perfection that defies that of the common 4-angle stone or brick. The stones ranging from one meter to cover four meters in size and range from trapezoidal to 12-sided polygonal. The multi-sized and multi-shaped stones are cut with angles so that they fit together like puzzle pieces. When compared to a wall made of rectangular stones the polygonal shapes of the stones provide more structural integrity. On May 21st of 1950 when a major earthquake struck Cuzco, the Domincan Priory and Church of Santo Domingo were both badly destroyed. The crumbled Spanish architecture was juxtaposed atop the massive stone walls of the ancient Incan Temple of the Sun which firmly withstood the earthquake. These Incans knew what they were doing.

The masonry at Machu Picchu made me wonder if the Incan population was genetically afflicted with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. I write that with all due respect. I just wonder how the heck such precise, tedious functional beauty could be constructed without a genetic predisposition for hyper-perfection.

An alternative to this hypothesis is an Incan reverence for all forms and branches of life. Within Machu Picchu there is a Puerta del Sol (Door of the Sun) designed so each year on summer solstice the sun shines right through, a Templo del Sol (Temple of the Sun) for worshipping the sun, a giant semi-abstract sculpture of the condor, deity of the sky. Numerous edifices seem constructed to worship nature's inherent wonder and beauty. I believe Incans also were animists, believing all things have a divine spirit or soul (from rocks to llamas).

These two hypotheses aren't mutually exclusive of course. It is entirely possible, perhaps even probable, the Incans were Obsessive-Compulsive animists. Who knows. Ultimately, I remain with such a sense of bewilderment that my Machu Picchu experience feels incomplete. Don't get me wrong, it was positively awesome. It's just that my curiosity had been so stimulated that I feel a need to return (possibly several times) just to see Machu Picchu with a different set of eye's.

Part Two: Machu Picchu, You Move Me

Despot Roman emperor Caligula would not have been remembered quite as insane and eccentric if in place of choosing his horse Incititus to possibly appoint a seat in the senate as consul, he would have instead chosen a llama. The well-socialized llama is at once the apex of humility, the epitome of regality, and of extraordinarily friendly disposition. More so than the sometimes stubborn, sometimes flighty, and fiercely independent horse which of course possesses many outstanding merits. However, it is almost incontestable the biological evolution of the llama has developed it as the animal perfectly suited to be a level-headed ruler. Maybe horses are good political companions in an autocracy, and llamas in a democracy? Instead of a reputation for their regality though, llamas have a reputation as beasts of burden famed for their defense mechanism of spitting at an aggressor. Not aggressive by nature, you can tell how ticked off or agitated a threatened llama is by the contents of their spit. I just learned that apparently the more disturbed the llama is, the further back in one of it´s three stomach chambers it will draw the contents of it´s spit.

My affection for the llama was well-fed at Machu Picchu. Before our visit to Machu Picchu I was aware that the llama was the principal cargo-transporter of the Incan civilization. I was not sure, however, whether or not live llamas would be roaming the ruins of the Incan civilization. I thought perhaps part of the tourist infrastructure would include llama-controls both to preserve the ruins and ensure safety for tourists. I was enthused to discover llamas roam as freely as people in Machu Picchu, and in fact, even more so at times. Llamas at Machu Picchu also have the advantage of not having to embark on a 20 minute round-tip hike to the bathrooms, they just go where they please of course. Discovered that one the hard way; as I lifted my body up and over a terraced wall to reach the flat plain where the llamas were grazing, I put my right hand in a nice big pile. I love llamas, but still can´t help but curse when something like that happens with no sink in the vicinity.

The first speech by our guide delayed in it´s beginning as we had to wait for sleepy stragglers who arrived at the first meeting point a little later than intended. I was more than fine with that because that delay is what provided me the 15-minute-or-so opportunity to mingle with a 6-llama herd. It´s been a privilege to see so many live llamas while travelling through Peru, most the llamas a person sees in La Paz are dried out llama fetuses sold in the Witch´s Market for ritual purposes. Bizarre, but you get used to it. Seeing llamas roam around Machu Picchu was also for me, an integral element of how I experienced the ruins. The llamas are the only part of Machu Picchu that survive as living, breathing presence of the cultural patrimony of the Incas. The llamas and the occasional condor one sees if lucky. Seeing that animal life amidst was a useful reminder of the former abundance of production and creation that took place between what are now numerous, stacked solitary stoic stones. Indeed, the many walls are comprised of stones that although inanimate, nonetheless evoke an incomparable and truly magnificent cultural history. Part of what I found so engaging about visiting Machu Picchu was in fact the high level of interpretation one can apply to what they hear and see, much information and understanding of this empire remains highly disputable.

Anthropologists now recognize as true, however, that the Incas had knowledge of neurosurgery that after destroyed along with their culture, was not rediscovered again until the19th century by Western science. Just imagine how advanced humanities knowledge of neurosurgery and the brain in general would be if all that information would not have been lost for hundreds of years, leaving us to start again at square one. Popular history often undermines the sophistication of Incan understanding of the brain. Text books attribute the practice or ¨trepanation¨to the Incan culture (the drilling of holes in the skull,) but cut the explanation short with an insufficient explanation for the reasons why. The reason given portrays a picture of native superstition that ¨bad spirits¨ had to be released from an afflicted brain. Popular history leaves out the evidence that surgeries were frequently performed to cure war injuries, damage suffered from aneurysms, to remove tumors, and that the patients not only survived the surgery but healthfully lived for many years after.

Perhaps even more significantly, however, is the reality that the Incas also has anesthetic. Modern neuroscience is not solely responsible for the development of anesthetic (as is often the belief): the Incas developed an effective anesthetic from the plant-base of Coca leaves. In fact, in the beginning stages of the development of modern dental practices, a similar derivative of the Coca plant was also used as an anesthetic. This, to me, is also further proof of the many benefits of the Coca leaf that outnumber the one major drawback: the U.S. used it as a base to invent cocaine. The War on Drugs' often savage and biased attack against the Coca plant thus does not make it surprising to me that the many benefits of the plant that were enjoyed by Andean cultures, are suppressed as such information would undermine the demonization of the plant. The Coca leaf is not a drug, it is not cocaine, and in fact has been used for thousands of years as a nutritional staple in the Andes. It contains one´s daily needs of calcium, iron, and all the essential amino acids. It only even acts as a mild stimulant (less dramatic than coffee) when chewed in combination with a special gum derived from the ashes of native Andean plants.

Eli called me away from my llama diversion once the tour guide started shrieking her spiel about the agricultural terraces of Machu Picchu and we wandered back over to our group, took a seat at a distance behind, and listened. This is where our journey of the ruins began, and where I will pick up on my next blog about the magical Machu Picchu.