Chile and False Idols!

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"Cafe Del Mar - Volume One"


What have I learned about Chile thus far?

Well I have not been here for very long, only a couple weeks. But I have certainly gained a perspective. Let´s face the reality here...I'm a privileged white dude from upper middle class Canada. So I am well aware that my perspective may tend to be biased or perhaps even coerced. I belong to a certain rooster coupe (to borrow a thought from The White Tiger) and by its very nature continues to bound me. By this I mean, as educated and free thinking as I would like to think I am, I still remain inherently ignorant. So I know my perspective may be flawed; however, I still wish to express it.

My first step was making the trip to Chile. Upon arrival I found myself surrounded by familiarities. I have spent my time in the cleanest nicest areas of Santiago. Spent some time in Vina Del Mar, comparable to any ritzy coastal city in North America. Then I went to Pucon which might as well have been Whislter. This is what I mean by not being able to leave the rooster coupe. However, despite my acknowledged ingorances to a new country, I have still seen a cultural way of life that really should be celebrated. Rather, it is being destroyed and forgotten to be replaced by false idols. Or at least, it would seem so.

Beneath the infestation of hot dogs, hamburgers, strip malls, and North American fast food lays a country that has it right. Or should I say HAD it right. When I think of this, I grow sad. Obviously I am generalizing; however, there is a shred of truth to my perspective.

What I have learned about Chile and the Chilean people is that at the core, they are a nation of family unity, honest work ethic and vibrant colorful souls. First and foremost is the family unit here in Chile. Much like it was growing up in rural Canada. However, unlike Canada today, their family unity still remains completely intact. I remember growing up as a close nit family, always having dinner together, movie nights, board games, ect. And I still have a close family. However as we grew older, starting in highschool the family unit became less important. Trading family dinners for McDonalds with friends. Swapping family board games for Xbox with buddies or alone. The older you grow in Canada, the less important your family seems to be. Sure the love for your family still remains. But lets face it, if you really think about it, your connection to your family truly does diminish. You may disagree, this is simply how I feel. And I remember while my mom was sick with cancer and all the Stock kids returned home how the family unit began to resemble what it once was and flourished. I was reminded how important family truly is and at the core of the human race lays this family unity. Once again my world, the world for the Stock family circled around the love we have for each other. We paid a terrible price to be reminded of the meaning of life, in essence, the love you gain from family. A toll that will be paid for the remainder of my life. We lost our mother, and with such terrible loss we gained our sense of family once again. And where I grow sad is when I think of how the people here in Chile are heading down that path. They desire to be enlightened by the false idols that have torn apart the fabric of the North American family unit.

Every where I go here in Chile I am reminded of how the family is so important. This has not been lost on them, or at least not on most of them. Andrew and I went to the beach a few times over the past couple weeks. We saw a stark difference from beaches we go to back home. Back home, you would be hard pressed to see guys and girls in their mid twenties or even in their teens going to the beach with mom and dad. Hell no, embarrassing. Not the case here. The beaches are crammed with families. The super model, crazy hot Chilean girls (and there are lots) are all with their families, not with their peer groups. Only family groups or couples can be found. Andrew and I both found this interesting. Apparently Chileans stay with their family until well into their twenties. It is normal for someone to be 25 finishing college and finding a full time job before moving out. And when they move out, it is often close to home. There is nothing above family. I find this refreshing yet I see a trend here in Chile that threatens this family fabric. The everlasting pursuit of progress or what we have come to accept as progress despite what we lose in the process.

Chile is a nation hoping to catch up. Catch up to what?! Things seem great to me! And this is where false idols come in. I have gained the feeling that Chileans or Chile as a nation looks to the United States as the perfect role model of where a nation should be. Bright lights, wonder and awe. Fast cars, money, fast food and Hollywood. People are willing to trade family dinners for reality tv and obesity juice or Pop Drinks as we more affectionately refer to them as. Traditional Chilean food has been relegated to the back in exchange for hot dogs and mayo. I get the sense that Chileans feel the urge to grow and become more North American. I completely disagree with this idea. They have things right down here. Their morals and values are not misplaced. If I could become the President of Chile I would stop this so called progress. No more influx of North American food, stop the creation of more dams, mills, super structures, malls, reality tv, and other disconnects. I wouldn't want to change a thing, there is no reason to change. The Chilean culture is something that should be a model for the United States and Canada. Not the other way around. There is something sensible, honest, humane and sustainable about their way of life down here, free from the reaches of the North American way of life. Chile - stop changing, please! I like you the way you are. Beautiful people with honest souls. Leave obesity, diabetes and a forgotten family structure to the North Americans. We are already past the tipping point. There is no hope for us. Do not follow this path.


Aside from strong family unity, over all I view Chileans as extremely honest, proud, hard working people. They take pride in earning their keep and take greater pride in sharing their time with their family and close friends. Again, I have only been here for a few weeks. Also, I have not really had the chance to experience the true Chilean way of life. Once I have lived in rural Chile and helped out on family farms and volunteer projects I will gain a better understanding. Perhaps my perspective will change. That being said, a Chilean did offer me his perspective in one simple thought. Chileans don't migrate to Santiago to say that they have made it. They migrate to Santiago as the final step before moving to the United States. His intended meaning was not lost on me.

This is my perspective thus far.

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Comments

[Sherry Green]

Go Tim!
Already your sense of humanity has been expanded to place priority on the most important thing in life - family. I follow you with pride. SG

[Kelly]

Interesting perspective
Great blog Tim. I liked reading your perspective and think you would probably think the same about several developing nations and even developed countries around the world.....unfortunately the 'American' way of life seems to be something that people strive for all around the world, which often seems to result in a loss of their own unique identity. I suppose it's worth considering the benefits of progress to a country like Chile such as improved health care and education systems and quality of life for a lot of people.....unfortunately it seems these improvements are usually only beneficial to the upper class, often leaving an even larger gap between the rich and the poor. Look forward to reading your next blog from a very different perspective - rural Chile! LOVE YOU!

[Sarah]

This is a great and honest piece of writing, yet sad. I'd hope this sobering perspective could be seen in North America more frequently and actually take root on a large scale, but this will most likely not happen soon, if at all. Thank you for sharing this.