The question is what is the Paradox of Progress?The Paradox of a Poor Country
Guatemala is a rich country. In money no, but in history and tradition, it is immeasurably wealthy. This poverty mixed with history represents one of the biggest paradoxes of all time – the paradox of progress.
Stop, go, stop, and go. The traffic continues for miles and miles as people are directed down this busy street by the switch of a light. The yellow cabs and bustling pedestrians are guided by three interchanging colors, green, yellow, red. Thousands of people are moving down this street in perfect unison, orchestrated by the flash of a light. Now zoom out a little, and you’ll see tall willowy towers are on either side of the street stretching their limbs to the sky. Their surfaces reflect the street below, engulfing you in a claustrophobic grey. But if you lift your head up high, you might notice the reflection of the sky, creating a limitless heaven.
Now we must ask ourselves, what has made the creation of this places like this possible? Really, the answer is nothing. Nothing and everything. If you think about it, the only places where progress has not taken its toll are those where history is abundant. In America there are structures 150 stories high, but situated in the middle of a Desert wasteland. It’s almost a paradox in itself that we build these structures and we progress, in the middle of nowhere. These structures that require mass amounts of technology and materials are quite ironically, isolated.
The Monuments stand 800 feet tall, etching their shadows into the jungle behind them. The dirt is covered in grass, erasing any footprints the 2 million inhabitants might have left. Centuries ago this place was called Tikal, a city at the height of its empire some 1500 years ago, now left abandoned. Now as I reach for my LG shine cell phone, I can’t even get service. “Maybe that’s why they disappeared,” I think “no reliable internet.” But a historian would tell you that’s not true. This abandoned city became a myth to the Mayan descendants. A tale told to them by their parents, who spoke of a grand city, destroyed by their own power.
As we drive back to our hotel, we pass by the shantytowns and dirty children on the street. Why is it this country, is still untouched by modern progress? Some say it is the history of places such as Guatemala, that prevent them from the effects of progress. They couldn’t very well build a metropolitan city in the middle of the Mayan ruins could they! But in reality it is much more than that. It is their way for tradition that scoffs upon progress. The thought of missing Sunday dinner is unheard of, and the nasty part of progress, (the part that separates families, and turns us into robots) they are immune to. Their history and tradition prevent them from suffering due to progress. In a way their ancestors in Tikal sacrificed themselves, to protect this generation from the grip of progress. They took the bullet, so that future generations could learn form their mistakes – that power is to destroy.
Here we see the two alternatives we are faced with. One, remain relatively unscathed by progress, and live without the comforts of a metropolitan city. Two, live in the big city, and have all you ever need and more. The choice would be obvious, but that is because unlike the people of Guatemala, we are blind to the effects progress. And therefore we are blind to the paradox of progress – to build is to destroy.
Reviews appreciated!! thanks
Zib
