Ethnicities Magazine_January 2018_Volume_19

ETHNICITIES
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CONTENT
ETHNICITIES
Editorial Message
Keila Salazar de Moreno, B.A.
The slave route: The sites of the memory of
slavery in Peru..............................................................3
Ana Lucia Mosquera, B.A.
How to use the capillary calendar according to
your type of porosity..................................................6
Kris Aguilar, B.A
What’s your definition of Beauty..........................10
Samara Wallace, B.A.
Nilsa Justavino – Interview...................................13
Ethnicities Magazine
3
THE SLAVE ROUTE:
The sites of the memory of
slavery in Peru
FOUNDER & EDITOR IN CHIEF
Keila Salazar de Moreno, B.A.
info@ethnicitiesmagazine.com
ASSOCIATE EDITOR AND COLLABORATOR
Judith Rapley, M.S.W.
judith@judithrapley.com
GRAPHIC DESIGN
Stephany Salazar, B.A.
stephany.salazar20@gmail.com
PHOTOGRAPHS
www.pixbay.com
Vina Yetman, B.A.
COVER AND INTERVIEW CONTENT
PHOTOGRAPHS
Vina Yetman, B.A.
EDITORIAL MESSAGE
You left without a saying good bye… The departure
of our loved ones..............................................21
Jessica Bernard, B.A.
JANUARY WRITES
Ana Lucía Mosquera, B.A.
Kris Aguilar, B.A.
Samara Catherine Wallace N., B.A.
Jessica Bernard, B.A.
Keila Salazar de Moreno, B.A.
10
SALES, MARKETING AND PUBLIC
RELATIONS
Keila Salazar de Moreno, B.A.
SPANISH VERSION CORRECTION
Keila Salazar de Moreno, B.A.
Stephany Salazar, B.A.
Keila Salazar de Moreno
Founder and Chief Editor
Ethnicities Magazine
WHAT’S YOUR DEFINITION
OF BEAUTY?
ENGLISH VERSION CORRECTION
Judith Rapley, M.S.W.
WEBMASTER
Keila Salazar de Moreno, B.A.
Revista Digital
www.ethnicitiesmagazine.com
CONTACT
+507 62523175
MAGAZINE
**Ethnicities Magazine investigates the seriousness of their advertisers,
but i not responsible with related offers they do. The
opinions expressed by the authors do not necessarily reflect the
position of editor of the publication, total or partial reproduction
of the content and images of the publication without prior authorization
of Ethnicities Magazine is strictly prohibited.
28
HOW TO USE THE CAPILLARY
CALENDAR ACCORDING TO
YOUR TYPE OF POROSITY
www.ethnicitiesmagazine.com + 507 - 6252- 3175
info@ethnicitiesmagazine.com @ethnicitiesmagazine
1 2

AFRO-PERUVIAN MOVEMENT
The process of recognition of
Afro-descendant populations in
the world requires not only their
visibility and specific attention
to their needs, but can also be
manifested through processes
of recovery of collective historical
memory that reaffirm their
character as populations with
social manifestations and particular
cultural assets.
One of these processes is the
recognition of Sites of memory
of slavery, a process initiated
by the project “The Slave Route”,
led by the United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization (UNESCO),
which initiated this project with
the purpose of placing value
on Afro-descendant cultural
expressions derived from the
enslavement process and contributing
to the generation of intercultural
dialogue.
This project has recognized several
cities in Latin America and
the world as Memory Sites of
Slavery, and has recently awarded
the city of Zaña, located in
northern Peru, as a result of a
long process of collective construction
and community participation
which aimed to make
this city visible and its contribution
to the Afro-descendant cultural
heritage.
THE SLAVE ROUTE:
THE SITES OF THE MEMORY OF
SLAVERY IN PERU
BY: ANA LUCIA MOSQUERA, B.A.
Thus, the city of Zaña becomes
the first place in Peru to be included
as part of the project
“The Slave Route”, after a long
campaign undertaken by leaders
and local authorities that
highlights the collective recovery
experience of the cultural
traditions of the Afro-descendants;
and the reconstruction
of the historical memory in the
locality.
The recognition of sites of memory
of slavery is an important
exercise that allows recognizing
the slave trade and the
Afro-descendant presence in
the country, proposing a citizen
exercise of recovery and enhancement
of the cultural heritage
of the Afro-Peruvian population.
Following the example of Zaña,
communities as San Luis de
Cañete, located in the south of
the country, and the district of
Rimac, in the capital of Peru,
have initiated formal application
processes before UNESCO and
national stays to be recognized
as memory sites of slavery.
These processes, however,
should not be led only by local
authorities or leaders of civil society
organizations, but require
community participation and
the involvement of citizens to
make cultural expressions and
the process of the commemoration
of the history of people
of African descent in Peru. This
process, then, becomes a process
whose protagonist is the
community that is in charge of
the decision of the recovery,
conservation, and transmission
of Afro-descendant cultural heritage
in these places.
Culture and memory are an
important part of the identity
of Afro-descendant peoples in
the Americas and the declaration
of Zaña as a memorial site
for slavery is a first step for the
enhancement of collective memory
in other places with a high
Afro-descendant population in
the country. This declaration is
of utmost importance for the
processes of visibility of the
Afro-Peruvian population that
are already being generated by
the State and the organizations
and that focuses on the historical
aspect of the arrival and establishment
of Afro-descendant
populations in the country.
The recognition of sites of the
memory of slavery are an expression
of resistance and existence
of Afro-descendant peoples
in the country, who claim
their history and are built with
elements taken from the popular
traditions, the uses and customs
that the Afro-descendant
population has maintained for
generations.
3 4

KRISA TIPS
This process not only implies
a commitment at a political
level, but also the recognition
and preservation of Afro-descendant
history and cultural heritage
in its diversity and multiple
forms, which acquires local
characteristics but also highlights
the common histories and
collective processes of the development
of the Afro-descendant
population in the different
regions of Peru.
HOW TO USE THE CAPILLARY CALENDAR
ACCORDING TO YOUR TYPE OF POROSITY
APPLY THE RIGHT INGREDIENTS FOR YOUR HAIR.
BY: KRIS AGUILAR, B.A.
E-mail: krisanatureshop@gmail.com
Social Networks: @krisanature
The porosity of the hair is one of the characteristics that indicates the ability
of the hair to absorb moisture, it is classified as low porosity, medium porosity
and high porosity.
5 6

KRISA TIPS
LOW MEDIUM HIGH
Perform treatments to rebuild
the hair once a month, preferably
in the week that you’re not
going to moisterize with ingredients
based on protein or amino
acids, such as egg, natural
gelatin, mayonnaise.
Hair Floats
Hair sinks
slowly
Hair sinks
quickly
High Porosity
How ' to know what ' type
of porosity you have
Low porosity:
the hair has a partially closed
cuticle, which hinders hydration
of the hair and causes dryness
and prevents moisture from entering
and leaving easily.
Care for hair with low
porosity
Avoid using products based on
protein or not use them in excess
because they cover the
cuticle making hydration more
difficult, resulting in a dryer and
weaker hair.
It is recommended to use moisturizing
products such as: glycerin,
panthenol, honey, cornstarch,
yogurt, coconut water,
fruits, botanical extracts, vitamins,
aloe vera, sugar, etc., at
least twice a week, since they
do not present contraindications.
Apply treatments to nourish two
to three times a month.
The hair as well as the body
needs different nutrients, the-
refore the use of proteins should
not be completely eliminated, but
they should be used infrequently
(once a month) and mixed with
moisturizing products for a good
result. Example: ½ ripe avocado,
1 egg (protein) and 2 tablespoons
of almond oil.
Medium or normal porosity
This type of porosity is ideal,
since the cuticle is in excellent
condition to receive and remove
moisture from the hair.
Care for hair with low
porosity
It is recommended treatments
to nourish hair with vegetable
oils such as argan, avocado,
castor, coconut, olive and butters
twice a month in moderate
amounts to avoid having a fat
and heavy appearance.
Perform hydration treatments 3
times a month, organized with
a week’s space with ingredients
such as those mentioned above.
In this type of porosity, the cuticle
is open and has gaps, which
causes moisture to come and
go quickly, hindering hydration
and hair fragility, frizz, brittle
tips and tangles.
Care for hair with low
porosity
Apply protein-based treatments
twice a month to rebuild the hair
and fill the gaps in the cuticle.
Apply masks of natural oils to
moisterize the hair.
Control the PH to seal the cuticle
(this topic we will touch later
on).
Use mild shampoo, do not use
thermal caps or wash your hair
with hot water.
Suitable ingredients for treatments:
natural gelatin, protein
(egg, mayonnaise) amino acids.
To know what type of porosity
you have, you must do a very
simple test that consists of taking
some strands of your hair
(clean) and without product and
adding it to a glass full of water
(preferably transparent glass)
and observe the behavior of the
strands in the water for at least
5 minutes.
If the hair keeps floating on top
of the glass, it seems to not sink
or sinks almost nothing, you
have a low porosity.
If it stays floating and only sinks
to the middle of the glass, your
porosity is average or normal.
If the strand sinks to the bottom,
your porosity is high.
With this information it will be easier to organize your capillary
calendar.
Always remember to avoid using products with chemical
substances, be careful with the use of the dryer, hair straighteners
and dyes.
I hope this information will be help you with your hair care.
7 8

ETHNICITIES
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MY DEFINITION OF BEAUTY...
BY: SAMARA CATHERINE WALLACE-NOYOLA, B.A.
For more information, contact us at:
info@ethnicitiesmagazine.com
www.ethnicitiesmagazine.com
Follow us on:
In this issue of Beauty Express,
we give this column as a platform
for women of different
ages to define and express their
personal concept of beauty.
For too long the standard of
what is considered “beautiful”
has been branded in our minds
and hearts by the external forces
of society, culture and
trends. We’ve been bombarded
with so-called beauty standards
through images in magazines,
on television, social media and
even through words and attitudes
within popular culture--often
to the exclusion of many.
The sad truth is that these messages
that begin in early childhood
follow us along throughout
our}
lives. They impact the way we
see ourselves and those around
us and can often inflict pain, low
self-esteem and other emotional
angst. They can also cause
us to mis-place our confidence
in things that are fleeting. It’s difficult
when we don’t meet “the
standard” and shifts in beauty
standards are also factors to
this inner turmoil--what may be
10

BEAUTY EXPRESS
ETHNICITIES
considered beautiful today, might
not be tomorrow.
I believe having these “standards
of beauty” rob of us of the
dignity and humanity of our uniqueness.
We are each brilliant gifts, masterpieces
of God’s creation. Our
differences and even similarities
should be celebrated--in
their entirety. There is beauty to
be found in EVERYONE: every
body type, every skin color and
every nationality.
And guess what? WE have the
power to redefine our ideas
about beauty. We don’t have to
color in the lines of society’s limited
perceptions of beauty.
We have the power to own our
beauty and celebrate the beauty
of the people around us. We’re
all works of art!
I asked a few women to share
their ideas about beauty and
how these have evolved over
time. These amazing women
are rejecting a dictated standard
of “ideal beauty”--instead,
they are defining it for themselves.
Here’s what they have to
say:
Delia- Age 18
“To me beauty is defined through
confidence. It is how much
you choose to love yourself despite
the world’s expectations.
My concept of beauty has
shifted from being solely
physical to a measure of overall
personal value. Because
physical features change and
will be viewed differently
depending on the eyes of the
beholder.
I realized it was more
about the inside than anything
else.”
Miriam – Age 29
“The most beautiful people I
know are completely themselves
and honestly human.
They aren’t afraid to grow, even
when it hurts.
They own who they are, but never
at the expense of others.
They are not afraid to celebrate
others’ beauty, even when it might
come at a cost to them.
Though I do think physical beauty
has its place, think the real
value of beauty comes from
who we choose to be”.
July – Age 33
“Beauty, a word which has a lot of
meaning and weight.
Beauty is not simply the outward
appearance, it is much more than
that. It is what we are, it is what we
feel inside, it is what we transmit.
When we stop to observe the smallest
details, when we value things,
when we love, when we desire, our
beauty is reflected and shows what
we are! Beauty is the most powerful
thing a woman can have and it is
her essence.
That is the definition of beauty!
Beauty is understanding
the state of worthiness!”
Arianna – Age 13
“In my opinion beauty is the inner
appearance reflecting on
the outside.
We see models and fame and
think that is beauty. But true
beauty comes from who you
are. It’s almost like an apple--
there is the skin which is beautiful,
but the real beauty that attracts
people is the sweet taste
of the inside.
Just like an apple, our outside
can be beautiful, but what attracts
people and keeps
them coming back for more
is the sweet taste of the beauty
inside.”
Pamela – Edad 59
“I believe in the outer beauty of women, but not
according to how its defined by society. I think
beauty it is the external expression of what has
been cultivated internally. It is the way you treat
people, the way you make them laugh even when
they are going through difficult times, it is giving
of your time in unconditional way. In short, it is
with who you feel confident. When someone tells
you that you are a beautiful person, do not think
about your appearance, maybe the concept you
have of yourself will tell you that the person is
lying. Instead, understands that they are talking
about your qualities, that is, the manifestation of
your inner beauty.”
11 12

In this opportunity we prepared for you the interview
that we did to Mrs. Nilsa Justavino Lopez, who also is a
woman who, with every step she has taken in life, has left indelible
marks in every place where she has been as well as wonderful contributions
in art, education and our afro-descendance.
Without further ado, get know more about this extraordinary woman.
Where and when was Nilsa Justavino born? What are your
family roots?
NILSA
JUSTAVINO
INTERVIEW
I was born in the city of Panama in 1947. My grandfather Jose Santos
Justavino moves from Bocas del Toro with my grandmother to the city
with my grandmother Clementina Meléndez Pernett de Justavino, born
in Bocas, who at the time was around 50. For her, this decisión meant
uprooting her from her midst. 35 years after, in 1977, when she died she
still yearned and longed for her island, her upbringing, her dialect, and
her memories.
All of the family, except me, were born, educated, and raised in Bocas.
My grandfather was born in Dolega, but he grew up in Chiriqui Grande,
and later, lived most of his adult life in Isla Colon. I was as a Bocatorian,
and I am an afrodescendant by heritage.

PERSONALITIES
15
The Melendez Pernett [on my
grandma’s side] came from Cartagena,
Providencia and San Andrés.
From Miss Santos, as she was called
in Bocas, I learned to love an island
that I came to know firsthand
when I was an adult in 1971. Much
more than my mother or my other
relatives who were blessed for having
been born in the island, I learned
to love Bocas through the customs
and education handed down
to me by my Grandma Cleme.
My father was the son of a Cuban
musician from Santiago de Cuba
and a Panamanian from Viento
Frio, Colon. His lineage comes
from Nigeria, Haiti, Santiago de
Cuba and Colon. The Caribbean is
in my blood and under my skin.
How was your childhood, where
did you grow up and what
did you like most about this
stage of your life?
I grew up in a two-story wooden
house, like those rebuilt after the
Canal construction for housing in
the “town for fishermen”, San Francisco
de la Caleta. In those times,
San Francisco ended up at the edge
of the mangroves, where ATLAA is
now, and Via Israel was a dirt road.
My happy memories about my
childhood are about the freedom
top lay games like hide and seek,
“la lleva”, miron-miron”, swinging
a top, marbles, in the empty lots
around the neighborhood, slide on
a cardboard sleigh downhill where
the Church for the Virgin of Guadalupe
stands today, to ride on a bike,
play in the Street, and go to school.
Nobody bothered us and everyone
in the vicinity would watch and care
for us.
When I went out bike-riding in
groups of 6 or 7 kids, we would
round the neighborhood and ride
up to Parque Lefevre, all Coco del
Mar to the shore right across the
Peñón de Paitilla…and sometimes,
we would sneak across the dry
shore when the tide was low as far
as where the BAC Bank building.
There was a cafetería called Café
Squirt, where we could get a milkshake
vase for 25 cents we collected,
each a nickel or a half-nickel
together…keeping an eye on the
tide. There was no Balboa Avenue
then, just the cattle landing area.
The cowherds were taken by cowboys
and this was the road to the
slaughterhouse, right where Multiplaza
is today.
A phrase that your mother used
to say and that is engraved in
your mind.
My mother and my grandmother
ingrained in me the dreams of success,
of being authentic, independent,
and proud of my heritage.
There was very little money, but
lots of self-respect. My grandma
used to say often: Too much noise
is nothing; and my mother added:
“Fend for yourself and study, I won’t
last forever.” I think these two have
been my mottos in life.
What did you study at the
university and the purpose why
you chose to study that career?
I chose to be a major in English
because I wanted to be a translator.
Adolfo Bishop, Colomba Luque
y Pedro I. Cohen took the best of
me to become a good professional.
With Pedro Cohen, I wrote my dissertation
on the dialects of West
Indian English as spoken in Bocas
and other areas in Panama. Marva
Myles de Spragg researched on
the area of Colon. The rest is history.
After that dissertation, I have
continued to research on the West
Indian English dialect and I have
written several articles, lectured on
seminars and related events. Life
placed me in the path of education,
and later on, I got a Master’s degree
in Applied Linguistics, Research
and Second Language Teaching at
Nova Southeastern University.
Once in that lane, I worked in the
Central American Peace Scholarships
[CAPS]. Georgetown University
trained us for a Total immersion
program to be taught in 1300
hours. It was the most memorable
teaching experience. In April 2018 I
hold a teaching record of 47 years
in the classroom. I have taught
elementary, high school and college
levels as well as human resources.
I have taught English in public
schools such as Instituto Nacional,
Richard Neuman, Comercial Panamá,
private institutions, Instituto
Nicolás Victoria Jaén, IPA, Alberto
Einstein, Academia Hebrea, IDES.
I have worked as a human resources
instructor, legal translator, and
college professor in conversation,
translation, post-graduate and
masters programs of English as a
second language at Universidad
Tecnologia de Panama, Panama
Canal College, Universidad Latina,
Universidad de Panama, and PCA
[Panama Canal Authority].
16

PERSONALITIES
but designed for me. I do not know
how many students I have taught…I
don’t keep count. Occasionally, a
Young man or elegant lady or someone
wearing a uniform, or carrying
kids or grandchildren stretch
out their hands or their arms, or
scream “Teacher!” and I look at
them in surprise because the kid
has changed. Not me. “ You look
the same,” they say. And I feel happy,
fulfilled because I know that
somehow I helped change someone’s
life.
What is your greatest satisfaction
as a teacher?
In my life as a teacher I live by a
principle: Teaching is acting like a
shovel. You dig under your student
and you bring him up to your level
or higher. A teacher faces a child, a
challenge and a change. He should
teach as if he were teaching himself,
for the kid within him, for the
kid who stayed longer in school.
The challenge of making the child
learn and think in another culture
and language and that this learning
becomes a tool for the kid to achieve
his dreams. And likewise, to
make changes in the student’s life,
his conditions, his goals. I think I
have done this throughout.
room. She caught me at it, once.
And ever since, she started buying
art books from museums and galleries
she would visit, filled with
masterpieces and history of art
and techniques that I would faithfully
copy and that’s how I learned
how to draw. I never attended an
art school formally during my childhood
or early youth. That was a
deal for rich people who could pay
for private tutoring. School came
first. I had to study. You don’t make
a livelihood with art…you starve to
death”, they told me.
But I was fascinated with drawing
and art. On my own, I started working
with the human figure—hands,
eyes, and faces, body. At school,
I would draw while listening to my
teachers. They took my drawings,
my designs, and my sketches because
I was undisciplined and distracted,
and disinterested. Pencils
were forbidden. Not having pencils
was not a handicap. I learned to
draw with ink and ballpoint pens.
And I kept on drawing: ink sketching.
At what age do you decide to
venture to fulfill your dream?
How did you become a teacher?
Life takes you through paths unbeknownst
to you. I studied “good
English” to become a translator. I
worked as a technical draftsman
while I was studying at the University
with the Ministry of Health
in the Interamerican Public Health
Cooperative Service (SCISP) in a
Project with Alliance for Progress
by USAID. I got the position through
contest at the Office Career
Bureau. One day, my dissertation
counselor, Dr. Pedro I. Cohen told
me I had to do a teaching internship
to get my certification and degree.
I left the technical drafting and got
a position in the Ministry of Education
at Instituto Nacional. In 1972,
I walked into a classroom at Instituto
Nacional. Magic, Epiphany.
Self-revelation. My great avocation
and personal success. I have been
47 years in this career just because
life took me to the road not taken,
What was your biggest dream?
To become a painter. Very early
in life, my teachers and family discovered
my abilities to draw and
copy everything I saw. I started
painting in school in the art classes,
possibly since I was six. Later,
I started copying the drawings
my Aunt made for her art classed
with Juan Manuel Cedeño. She
kept her drawings locked in her
Unfulfilled dreams have a deadline.
In 1988, I started working with
the Panama Canal Commission. I
checked out at 4 pm and had time
to do whatever I wanted [no more
papers to grade or classes to plan]
so I got myself some private classes
two times a week from 7 to 9
at Ganexa. I was lucky to become
a pupil in Master Adonai Rivera’s
class, a great painter and a better
teacher—someone with original
ideas and one who would instill
personal style, daring, and bold-
17
13 18

PERSONALITIES
ness in art. Just what I needed. I
also had Master Leys James Magallon,
a great draftsman and artiste
to be my teacher, great in color
and texture techniques. Both were
very generous in sharing their skills
with me.
The cherry on the cake came one
evening, when Master Ricaurte
Martinez, Dean of Ganexa and a
great watercolor artist, sculptor
and painter. He was standing right
behind me watching me at the easel.
I was surprised with his being
there. He then looked at Adonai,
and seemed to approve and told
me” In March for the celebration of
Women’s day you will exhibit your
paintings in the Gallery at Ganexa.”
Panic. Challenge. The beginning
of a free flight with my own wings,
which made me exultant.
What usually inspires you when
you paint?
In life, dreams, ideas, literature,
beauty, dreams and disappointments,
in the poetry of our Panamanian
writers like Héctor Collado,
Consuelo Tomas, Moisés Pascual,
Gerardo Maloney, Moravia Ochoa,
among others. Nature, children
in the streets, because somehow
I was one of them, the value and
power of women and men, the fact
that I am black and proud of my
heritage, my roots and my background
in Bocas and Colon. In sum,
what life has taught me. Who I am.
What message do you want to
convey with your art?
I do not have messages. Yet, if
my paintings have a message, the
strongest one would be to trigger
a thought, an image to make the
public stop and think a bit. Art
can be decorative, but not always.
It should stop you and make you
think. The techniques, color, shapes
will do the aesthetic work, but
these should be joined by some
sort of depth or topic. For me,
when I paint blackness and Afro
descendants, I don’t follow the
commonplace, but the history, the
struggle, the dignity and the self encounter
with identity.
What is the greatest legacy that
you leave to our youth?
I had teachers who helped me find
my talents, to succeed, to be better.
I was brought up at a time where
individuality was basic…to succeed
without bragging or boasting, to
find your goals. Within my teaching
of English, I have used language to
get my students to discover themselves,
their dreams, their capabilities
and their talents, because all
of that comes through speaking
and writing. The legacy, if any, is
to be authentic, to fly and catch the
dream, the goal. To keep the pace,
to fall and get up...keep walking on
the road taken…the sky is the limit.
What are your future plans as
an artist?
Future? I am already living the
future I wanted and dreamed….
I have achieved my goals. I keep
on painting. It is an everyday task,
constant, an encounter with canvas,
paper, wood, as if a friend…
it is revelation and reflection. I
want to keep on painting, so long
as life allows me to, to have an exhibit
with other artists when they
invite me, just as I have done
so far. If possible, have an individual
exhibit…As an artist all
I wish is that those who see my
paintings stop to watch because
they find a common ground,
something to make them think,
feel an emotion or ponder. And
for my friends and painters who
have my art in their homes, my
permanent gratefulness for, on
their walls, my art is a permanent
show.
19 20

SPIRITUALITY
YOU LEFT WITHOUT A
SAYING GOOD BYE…
BY: JESSICA BERNARD, B.A.
ANGELOLOGIST
infojessicab@gmail.com
www.jessicambernard.org
The departure of relatives,
friends and acquaintances are
difficult to accept. We are referring
to the death of a person
from this earthly plane. It is the
recognition that we will not hear
or see that special person again
for the rest of our lives. Some
departures are expected and
even so, are yet difficult to accept;
not to mention the sudden
and unexpected ones, which
hurts us even more. This reminds
me a lot when my mother
died and as time passed, I realized
that there were many things
I did not got the opportunity to
say or do with and for her.
We live day to day in a robotic
way, in most of cases, we
do not realize what is happening
around us. We live at time
unaware of the changes around
us. For example, in the changes
of the seasons, when the trees
are losing all their leaves, sometimes
we don’t even realize
when that same tree flourishes
again; or when you walk daily
around an area where a building
is under construction, we do not
realize that the work is already
finished, or we ask ourselves:
but when did this happen?
It is the same way when we are
interacting with people in general
and our families. Living in our
present moment is crucial for
the development of our spirituality.
It is the acceptance of our
life with its ups and downs, but
even more, the enjoyment of
our current space with the people
around us. Sometimes we
know that our loved ones and
friends are close, but we also
assume the concept that “they
are just there” and we take them
for granted, which takes away
the true meaning and essence
of enjoying their presence.
Living the present moment
can be represented easily, just
as new mothers do ... they are
aware of their babies on a dayto-day
basis. They track or acknowledge
when their babies
can see, smile, move from one
place to another, when they
start to crawl and walk. They
document every single action
in their minds and in photographs…
the complete evolution of
their beloved baby. It would be
beautiful if we tried to live life
as if it was a growing baby ...
day by day documenting in our
minds its evolution; enjoying
and accepting the presence of
those we love and appreciate.
In the case of the absence of
someone we love, I will hurt us
for sure, but the moments lived,
the words spoken, and the
feelings expressed will prevail.
That is why living day to day represents
an act of recognition
of who we are, who are those
who surround us, where we are
going and how we can interact
in a better way with our peers.
This recognition of better interaction
is what makes us able
to be tolerant in the face of adversity,
to try to love people with
their weaknesses and virtues;
although there are moments of
“no understanding” for their actions.
It is dealing with the real
intention of the heart… to say,
“I love you”, or saying “I forgive
you” whether verbal or mental.
The constant recognition of our
actions makes us every day to
be better human beings in the
path of a shocking spiritual
growth.
That is why the interaction or
mental documentation of our
daily life represents an adequate
discipline to appreciate those
who are at our side… give love,
receive love, so that, if someone
says goodbye, there are no
regrets or doubts. Although it
is said that we must “love our
neighbor as ourselves”, it represents
the recognition of
what we want for ourselves,
we should wish for our neighbor.
Some people believe that
it is not easy to love others as
we love ourselves, especially
when negative actions are being
performed against our wellbeing.
The important thing is to
adopt and appropriate attitude
towards the person and try to
understand them. Always remember
that there are people
who act adversely at times based
on frustrations that are rooted
in their being and they have
not known how to release them.
It is the inner understanding
that we must try to assimilate
... to recognize that we are not
perfect beings, but perfect before
the eyes of the Creator ... of
the Universe and within that imperfection,
there must always
be a special place within your
heart to send good energy vibes
to those who are part of your
daily life.
It is in this way, that the “departures”
of our loved ones, even
though they are not easy to accept,
at least with our good actions
and gratitude, will leave us
with a great feeling of knowing
that we gave our very best
always.
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