el que piensa es el que pierde

the one that thinks is the one that looses

I have spent four months back in reality.

I had seen Lisandro’s show a few times. It was a representation of a Kakchiquel traditional/religious dance. He, in his less than 30 years, was the leader of a dance group that taught us all another side of Mayan tradition; not the one that sells but the one that is consciously and respectfully reconstructed to connect ourselves with our ancestors.

Lisandro had “revolutionary” ideas. Equality and respect for his ethnic group.

I didn’t know him well, but it was known all around that he was one of those that had a clear sense of right and wrong, and stood up for it. All his work was focused on keeping alive the Kakchiquel tradition amongst the new generations… encouraging people to respect themselves and their origins.

This was his way of resisting the current social structure, where your ability to succeed depends on the color of your skin, the clothes you wear and the way in which you speak/don’t speak Spanish.

He was killed. Today.

His body was found tied to a tree. Broken.

One of his good friends said something that stuck… “el que piensa es el que pierde”

“the one that thinks is the one that looses”

I think it is imperative for us, as a community of thinkers (if that is what we really are), to question ourselves everyday, every time we act, every time we speak, every time we think…

What are we working towards? What are we here for?

and, most importantly… What are we willing to give up for it?

How fair is it that we are so lucky while others, like Lisandro, have to give their lives in the struggle for rights that we consider basic?