More than the Green Republic

Connor Harron

Costa Rica. A name that to many is synonymous with “green republic,” “the last country the god’s made,” and many others that describe the eco friendly nature of this beautiful land. Since landing here and meeting the people as well as seeing many of the forests and animals which call this place home it is easy to see why. However, the picture portrayed by many of these descriptions is incomplete. Costa Rica, like the rest of Central and South America has been subject to the cruel hands of fate as colonizers from the west claimed much of its territory and economies, harnessing them for comfort goods that by now we accept as natural. Costa Rica has been one of the luckiest, preserving 25% of their land as protected areas with the help of international organizations and countries around the world through their “debt for nature” program. Even so, Costa Rica is experiencing faster rates of deforestation than any other country in Central America as banana and coffee plantations fill the countryside in order to fulfill the increasing demand from developed nations. As with many developing countries, a disconnect exists here between the raw goods produced as export commodities and the people who eventually consume them in their home or mug. The farmers who till the land here receive less than 1 cent for every dollar made for the goods they produce, and trade agreements with the IMF and World Bank have constricted these countries economies in a vice grip so that only the most highly valued exports can be grown in order that international debts can be paid. In order to do so social spending has largely been cut and the large expansive forests that are “protected” in many ways can only be described so on paper.

Please do not take me the wrong way, Costa Rica is very much the tropical paradise that many envision when they here the word. But there is a complex dynamic between the people here and the forests/animals travelers from around the world come to see. We have heard that humans need to love and be loved, but one of the most moving individuals I have met so far claimed that we need to learn to “love with respect.” An example of this can easily be found in one of Costa Rica’s most famous birds, the scarlet Macaw. Many people love this bird, so much so that a huge black market exists for poachers to sell them as pets to wealthy individuals globally. This depicts the lack of respect for the Macaw as well as many animals around the globe. If we truly love these animals, then we should show them the respect they deserve by allowing them to be free. The same is true for our environment and ourselves, for while we seek to love and be loved, it is imperative that we ensure the same is possible for all others. Just as many of the people and animals in Latin America have been marginalized by our need to seek fulfillment and happiness, so have we marginalized our own lives by creating a society dependent on material satisfaction. If we do not love ourselves responsibly, then we cannot share that love with others, and thus we will continue to ignore the suffering of others so that we can ignore our own. However, if we seek to bear each other up then we can reverse our status as consumers, and be providers of the most amazing gift of all; life.