It was less than a two-week visit. One could argue that this was hardly enough time. And I was mainly in one city, more to argue in that there was so much more to see. Yet, I’ve been around the world, Europe, the Middle and Far East, Central and South America, but nothing has affected me quite like this. A truly profound experience you might say.
It’s not a large island, but it’s a country with a storied past. Its beauty and riches are well documented by explorers and visitors throughout its captivating history. Its dangers have been equally chronicled via the days of pirates, mobsters and revolutionaries. It’s a place of contrasts and contradictions, with its people having all of this compressed into their souls.
I was awed by the mysterious influences of time and place on the people. I noticed this almost as soon as I arrived, especially with simultaneous and contradictory feelings being elicited; inspiration-deflation, caring-non-caring, right-wrong, beauty-beast, ahead-behind, all of these overwhelming my senses. It was like being amidst the complexities of social man versus economic man, a gap where god and sin might both find value. Again, it was a quick yet powerful sensation. In fact, I notice the feelings again in recall, with the notion of “tearing a smile” coming to mind. Perhaps in some unexpected, existential way, I stumbled upon a piece of myself or all of mankind in coming to this place.
But I couldn’t get lost in all of this, not on this particular visit, as I had my sights set on a specific purpose. I was hoping to find out if what I knew of the politically difficult situation in the county would lend itself to further exploration. In other words, given the variables at play could a project designed at examining what made the place tick be successful?
Cutting to the chase I have to say that things turned out in a very positive way. There was a convergence of what I hoped to discuss, see and feel with what I actually experienced. I quickly felt that my purpose had some real ground, it was not just fanciful thinking.
In fact, in doing what I was doing, I was reminded to some extent of my own country, one also filled with contrasts and contradictions, buoyed by revolutionary spirit, a place where the entirety of its experiment seems to have somehow been lost in translation. The purpose for my trip involved wanting to know more about the similarities of our countries, and if the similarities could overcome our differences, could in fact be fuel for a better understanding. And again I’ve become more certain that this could, no, has to happen.
Let me say more about this, about the elements surrounding my purpose. On initial examination, it was fair to reason that we were two countries laboring in the midst of our revolutionary beginnings - one has been couched within the frame and spirit of democracy, the other in the frame and spirit of communism. And by principle, neither of these frames seemed really at odds with the other. And both revolutions have also been enormously affected by the nature of capitalism - almost in the sense of being two sides to the capitalist coin. With one revolution, historical variables seem to have been on its side, especially in the context of the second world war – there has been substantial political, economic and military growth and progress. This was while the other struggled to maintain its identity, some argue as an effect of the other revolution’s success.
In any event, as we speak, both sets of revolutionary principles seem distorted by the nature of market influences - it’s now hard to recognize the true intent of either revolutionary experiment. So we actually appear to share a great deal. My purpose then was to first gather a sense as to the actuality of this point, and then attempt to use the similarities as something that might bring us together, each of us learning from the other relative to what has transpired in the modern world.
With this in mind, I should present a review of “the model” that I was considering prior to my trip. It was this concept that I actually took to community related agencies in the city I was visiting to ascertain what interest might be generated. Despite the often offered caveat about discussing politically focused endeavors in the country, I met with some success. The initial project idea developed as discussions unfolded, like a work in progree, and it seemed a perfect fit in terms of developing future projects. In reviewing the model, I expect you’ll get a better sense of what is being considered and what I’m hoping to develop as I now speak with those in my own country. It could be – perhaps - that something of value may be in the offing.
The Model (as written before my trip)
During my initial trip, I intend to build on contacts I’ve developed in the academic/art/civic/governmental communities on the island to garner an interest in the idea of organizing a political, economic and socially framed dialogue between the students of our two countries. If this can be accomplished I could return to the U.S. and do the same thing. The expectation is to eventually have a viable “ideological discussion model” put squarely on the table that could be implemented in a variety of academic and/or public venues.
It’s significant to note that my professional and personal experiences (documented in my last book, Criminal to Critic-Reflections Amid The American Experiment, Rowman and Littlefield Publishers) have indicated to me that we share some mutually important concerns within our political, economic and social structures. This “mutuality” can be framed in the imagery of a large circular intersection, with a center from which several directions can be taken. In this center lay, among others things, the concerns of capitalism, socialism, communism, and democracy. No doubt, these concerns – and all their implications - have prompted a great deal of separation/conflict between the two countries over the past half century. Yet it seems apparent that both countries could now legitimately and openly address these concerns in terms of proceeding in directions that can speak to better futures for us both. Therefore, it is at this “crossroads” where projects might be best developed. This is underscored by the belief that in sharing information while we are both there, we will not only help address and repair our separation/differences, but, in taking the best informed directions, we can also move toward bettering our respective countries.
With these ideas at the model’s center then, what might be developed via ideological dialogue and research can be expressive of/serve important educational ends. Although small in nature this type model, in the course of its development, could legitimately and clearly speak to the long-term interests of both our countries.
An Initial Project Model (developed during the trip)
I have completed my stay, and in terms of discussing the above “model”, it was clear that the ideas are of interest. In this sense the following is proposed relative to actually initiating a “grass-roots, work in progress” bridge between our countries.
Forming a “work group” developed from the organizations I have contacted (importantly, organizations which have a link to both the government and the University) and from similar organizations that can be involved from my country, we can together develop a “symposium on dialogue.” At this juncture, here is a general idea on what this would be. With students from both countries involved from the initial, developmental stages, we could bring them together within a university or civic center setting (perhaps with other individuals from academia, politics, community work, arts, media, entertainment, etc.) to discuss the ideological issues that have been at the forefront of our mutual concerns and distrust. From this, attention can be garnered on the issues and an intent developed to continue a corresponding dialogue with some shared, long term research projects between students/universities in the offing. This should not be seen in the context of necessarily resolving all our differences, but more as an open dialogue to facilitate better future relationships. Again, and as those I talked with seem to agree, it’s about time this happens.
There are certainly both procedural and substantive issues that need to be tended to, and funding will be an issue as well. But given the timeliness and significance of the issues, and that we have universities and organizations poised to help, and that this will not require a burdensome sum of money to organize (especially given the potential rewards), I strongly urge that the discussions and contacts already initiated be utilized to their fullest extent. In this sense, I am hoping to gather support from those who can help move the ideas/interest/energy forward. Again, what is being proposed is based on the value of education - the sharing of ideas and thoughts with the next generations in mind. There is certainly a hope that with the adequate information in hand, they can facilitate more open and worthwhile dialogue than has occurred in the past.
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So I imagine you have the picture. One might scratch their head thinking that this seems so obvious a course of action that this type bridge must already have been built. But this is not the case. And you can well suspect the worn-out, archaic reasons used to deflate the spirit from this type initiative – the same spirit interestingly enough that is tied to both our country’s beginnings.
There is certainly more I could say about my visit – especially about the people, their problems, the daily goings on and the country itself. Perhaps I can get to all of this another time, perhaps after my next visit. For now, I will only add this last piece of information. On my return flight, I was seated next to a woman from South Korea. She was fluent in English which allowed us the opportunity to chat about our experiences on the island. (This “spread” of our version of the English language certainly speaks to our post WWII expansion. It also speaks a bit to both our luck and our arrogance in terms of having other people speak in our native tongue.) She was a school teacher and she along with her husband and two children had been on holiday discovering and photographing the island. When it was my turn to explain my visit, I did so in the context of what you’ve read above. She seemed to take in what I was expressing with a great deal of interest and complimented me on what she perceived as some form of bravery. Shortly thereafter, and much to my surprise, she asked if she could have the piece of paper I was jotting some notes on. I gave it to her and she returned it with a sentence written on it. I found her consideration in wanting to write something surprising, and I remain inspired by the words she wrote. In closing I thought I would pass them along to you.
“I hope you are healthy and happy and that you and your friends help light the world’s darkness.”
This was a rather profound way to end a profound experience – it seems the ideas must continue to be discussed. And perhaps some light will indeed follow… quizas.