Since arriving in Bolivia, I have been jolted many times by the sixth sense that I have stepped back in time. The pace of life here is so much slower...even with the arrival of the internet and Levi jeans! Perhaps it's the pensamiento that time is worth savoring and living lentamente is truly living in the moment. Perhaps it's the fusion of colonial Spanish influences and Andean cosmo-vision?
I am fortunate to have several professors at the Maryknoll language institute who have shared their knowledge about Andean culture and cosmo-vision. From them I have learned to connect my own views of ecology and spirituality more profoundly. At the center of the three circles of Andean cosmo-vision (sky, earth and world below of spirits & ancestors) is the belief that all of creation is interconnected...no one entity or part is more important than the other but rather all beings live in harmony with the earth/universe. I am sometimes saddened to think that the indigenous cultures of North America had similar visions and yet our colonial ancestors dismissed their way of life as uncivilized. Only now as we begin to face the effects of global warming and other ecological problems are we beginning to honor the wisdom of indigenous cultures.
I continue to marvel at the age of the buildings in Boliva...many crumbling but still preserved. One of the most most noble and timeworn among these is the Convento de Santa Teresa in Cochabamba. Last week my friends and I made a visit to this gracefully decaying edificio. We were given a guided tour which lasted one hour and provided a snapshot of the extraordinary lives led by the cloistered nuns that have inhabited this convent for over two centuries. With our young guia we strolled through the peaceful cloistered patio and convent church, viewed fine altarpieces and sculptures (from Spanish and Potosà schools), and even got to ascend to the roof (via very, narrow circular steps!) for a glorious view of the city. The convent was founded in 1760, then destroyed in an earthquake. The new iglesia was too big to be domed, so the existing church was built inside its walls in 1790. A Carmelite community stills lives on the site, but its 14 nuns are now housed in more comfortable modern housing next door. As we strolled through the convent’s corridors, we all felt in touch with the history of this fascinating place.
It is my hope that one of my "lessons of life" learned in Boliva will be a deeper appreciation of the cultures of indigenous around the world and how their lives were cosmically intervoven into the lives and history of the Andean people. Is is possible that with a shared belief in our unity both past and present that WE...all peoples of the earth...could learn to live in peace and harmony?
