A humble people show uncommon grace

Letter from Peru

October 17, 2007 4:59:14 PM

Leaving the village of Ollantaytambo, our bus driver was negotiating a narrow street that allowed him about two feet of wiggle room. He nonetheless stopped suddenly and slowly backed up to give passage to a small boy and his parents who were trying to get their overloaded and rickety cart to market to sell their wares.

This family’s need to survive rightfully outweighed our bus’s need to get to the next tourist stop. I tried (unsuccessfully) to imagine a New York bus driver giving poor pedestrians a similar edge.

In Lima, Peru’s capital, the streets have no litter — an amazing thing for a major city with overwhelming fiscal woes. Asked how this cleanliness was accomplished, a cab driver said, simply, that people had been “educated not to dirty the streets.”

What would it take to get Americans to accept similar responsibility, one wonders, instead of contributing to a place where discarded plastic bags, fast-food containers, beer cans, and other garbage are an assumed part of our landscape?

Our guide spoke passionately of his Inca roots, his eyes wet with tears when he told stories of Spanish domination and native enslavement.

In the hill towns, where children seldom have a chance for education, since there are no schools, I met youngsters who taught themselves enough English to converse with tourists and sell trinkets, lest they fail to contribute to the family’s meager budget. The children were clean, polite, and hopeful. They stole our hearts.

Peruvians demonstrate their love for their country — with all its problems and wrinkles — in substantive ways. Their humanity to each other and to visitors is moving and rare.

Reluctant as Americans might be to acknowledge it, there is much we can learn from the so-called Third World. And if there is such a thing as a national personality, the people of Peru have much to teach us about grace. From the breathtaking and imposing Andes Mountains, to the serene, sunny valleys below, Peru’s people demonstrate real patriotism.

They strive to represent their country, and they understand that visitors contribute a great deal to its survival and theirs. Unlike many Europeans, they do not put on a false face for dollars; in Peru the USA is still truly revered, and even the falling dollar remains their measure for success.

The Peruvians approach each visitor with genuine caring, helpfulness, and gratitude for even the smallest recognition. As they go about their daily lives, they respect their humble but well-maintained surroundings, their fellow men and women, and their proud heritage while always aiming for a brighter future, unhampered by either the glories or the failures of their history.

Too often American “patriotism” is measured by flags on lapels and on every pick-up bumper from coast to coast. Until and unless we can honestly experience the Peruvian heartfelt “love of country” and truly believe in a better tomorrow, we are going through the motions.

Gracias, Peru, for such a valuable — and beautiful — lesson.