I have always had a deep desire to experience different cultures around the world. I thought that I would need to be a world traveler of foreign countries to fully know and experience these differences. Little did I know, that modern technology would allow me to have cultural exchanges with my global brothers and sisters. I didn't have to step out my door. The internet brought to me those who were meant to be in my path. I never expected that a virtual world would open the doors to such global interactions. Yet here I was, meeting a young male student from Guatemala; a country I was holding dear to my heart for it's human rights issues on femicide.
Since my last blog on Guatemala, my new friend has given me permission to begin discussing our conversations. Since he is a young male, in a society that devalues women, I was most anxious to hear his views about crime and about the femicide occuring in his country.
I was surprised to learn that he actually had respect for women. " It was how I was raised", he said. Coming from a family that was more affluent than most, he grew up in a household of women. I dare not become too specific in my story of him, for I wish to protect his idenity. Those who speak out in Guatemala are in great danger as are their families.
My new friend told me of his rual life before going off to school. He learned to kill by protecting the family farm. His weapon, a sharp machetti. I cringed as he told me of the wild animals he had to destroy to protect his families investment. This of course led off into a discussion of animal rights; how I have wild animals coming through my yard every night and I don't kill them for trespassing. He reported that these gorey deaths were deaths of necesssity. His friend would shoot them with a gun and he would dehead them with his machetti for a quick killing. In his mind, he was creating the least amount of suffering.
I asked him about the hanus murderous crimes against women in his country. He was curious about what I read or seen, claiming that not everything being reported is acutally truth. He and his family had seen many articles and news broadcasts, that they felt was not actually what was happening. He stated to me that in most of the killings it was because the women had cheated on their men. He told me that in his country adultry and unfaithfulness was a crime of sanctity. I could see that for as educated as this young man was, he too felt on some level that a woman's behavior justified her killing. We moved off into a conversation that this kind of behavior has been going on since the beginning of time, yet doesn't warrant death. We talked of a woman's right to live, regardless of behavior. I didn't believe that all the kiillings were women who had betrayed their men, yet this was the male mentality in Guatemala. Many killed were very young women.
He spoke of how his community handled such acts of crime, stating, that if a woman were murdered in his town, the community would find the killer and burn them in the streets for all to see. The same with thieves. He himself has not killed. Yet he speaks to me about what happens if he finds someone on the streets trying to hurt a woman or theives that try to rob others. He takes care of them his own way, by beating them up. Breaking their legs, arms, in an effort to keep law and order. He has no tolerance for this. He has spent time learning three kinds of marshall arts and honed his fighting skills. He states, "you wouldn't believe it! People just close their eyes to this kind of thing and pretened it's not happening. Walk right by." He tells me people fear him. He has the confidence of a fighter and a sense that he will be alright because of this. I ask him if he fears for his sisters? In his communnity, he seems to feel they will be alright. What about when you leave the university and marry, have little girls of your own, I ask? Will you fear for them? "We will be ok, I think."
I ask him if the thieves he hurts might be hungry? Poverty is a rampid social problem. He claims they should work for a living. I ask him if there is another way he could handle this instead of breaking legs and arms? What if he helped these people? He suggests they should go to class and learn a skill so they can work, a skill like forging. I am pleased to hear his mind coming to some form of rehabilitation. I ask, who would enforce they go to class, for the law will do nothing? There is silence. Could you start a school? More silence.
I ask him about his faith. Does he believe in God? Yes, but not religions, he reports. We talk about Love, not romanitc love but the love for mankind. I share my views. He likes what I am saying, "nice" he replies. I have a chance to learn of him and he of me. We end our conversation, until the next visit. I think about his ways and wonder if he walks away thinking of mine. Could there be another way for this 19 year old in Guatemala?
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