Things that go through my mind!

Sitting here on the island, after returning from LaCeiba this week, I thought I'd share some observations.

My husband and I flew to LaCeiba on Monday afternoon to take care of some errands. While there we noticed:

1) The soldiers in the airport were still standing around looking bored.

2) The cab drivers were honking their horns with as much frequency as before.

3) Shops were closing at the same hours as always - the curfew had been lifted.

4) Hotel clerks and room service personnel seemed unchanged.

5) Pizza Hut was busy.

6) People in the park were sleeping on benches or strolling through the park uncaring.

7) The crowd in the Mall was light, but then it was a Monday evening.

8) The roads had the same number of vehicles and horses as always.

So, no one seemed too upset that Mr. Zelaya had been taken out of the country in his pajamas and sent to Costa Rica. No one seemed concerned that President Michelliti was in office and running the show. And no one seemed bothered that there were guards standing outside all the banks, restaurants, hotels, public places, etc. In other words, people were going along with their daily business much as before. Now, our taxi driver was rather opinionated and voiced his agreement that Mr. Zelaya should have been removed from office that it was for the good of the country.

What it boils down to is that your basic human just wants life to go on smoothly, with as few distractions as possible. He wants to keep earning a living, put food on his families table, have time to enjoy life and live in peace. It seems that when people get power they forget all the basics.

If you notice, anyone who has authority over you usually does not like to be told what to do, how to do it or take suggestions on getting the task done easier. They have reached this position of "power" and they want to take advantage of it. The more power, the harder it is to convince that individual that there are two sides to every story. Oh, I'm not saying that some people are not willing to look at both sides and try to work out an agreement; I'm saying that, for the most part, it is hard to get people to do this once they believe they have the power. So, the saying "Power to the People" I believe, is a dangerous thing. Once people believe they are better than others or superior in some way, it is hard pulling them down off that pedestal, even a notch or two.

Maybe this is why governments and their representatives have such a hard time agreeing on anything. They think they know what is best for the people, even if the people have a different view. It takes a large group of people, all agreeing on an action, to convince one person that the view that person holds may not be in the interest of all the people. It must be a hard position to be in as people on one side are telling you what they feel is right and people on the opposite side are also saying they are right. I guess that is why the majority rules. However, in some cases even the "majority" is hazy. You can have polls that put the percentages high on one side and another survey that says the opposite. Of course, that is why we have laws.....to make sure that the grey area is a little clearer.

But, wait. When someone breaks the law they are, in a democracy, innocent until proven guilty. But in some countries - they are guilty until they prove their innocence....makes one's head spin. If they are in power, they feel they are sometimes above the law and ignore all the rules. Now, we all know that if the ordinary citizen breaks an iron-clad law, there is no argument. But if someone in power does the same thing, then they call for the world to set it straight - at least straight for them! No matter what they may have said before, no matter what actions they took before, if they feel they broke the law and should not be questioned, then they will try their best to rally anyone to their side in order to get what they want.

So, sometimes it is just a question that is resolved as it was when we were children - will the bully win or will the children stand together forcing everyone to see the reality of what is going on?

Right now, I'm going to "convince" my husband that we have a job to get done upstairs and that I feel it is important!