Pisagua, Chile: Past, Present, and Future (Tuesday April 12—Day 154)

Here in the present, we look to the past in the attempt to control, manipulate, and predict the future. Whether you view history as an infinite  line or as a cyclical series, whether you live here and now or you live for the future, this relationship of past, present, and future is valid, applicable, and powerful. So where are we now and where are we going? To answer that, we must go to Pisagua, Chile.
Pisagua, Chile--a small coastal town roughly 300 kilometers south of the Peruvian border--has played an active role in nearly all of the major periods of Chilean history. In fact, I would even argue that this small South American seaside town can actually represent the historical progression of many people, communities, and cultures around the world.
Pisagua has had it all. Native tribes formed villiages here, taking advantage of the calm shores, protected banks, and prime fishing. Ancient remains and geogliffs can still be seen in Pisagua Viejo, a valley of ruins and rocks roughly 7km north of the town.  During the time of the Spanish conquest, some of the earliest naval battles were fought on the beaches and cliffs of Pisagua. A military graveyard and well-maintained monuments peppering the northern banks of Pisagua pay homage to this proud historical moment. Once Chile secured control of this area, Pisagua became a prosperous port. One can still see the remains of the old  train station that brought nitrate from Bolivia and of the old mansions and theater halls that housed and entertained the rich business owners of the day. When the world no longer needed Nitrate, Pisagua--like many Chilean towns involved in this international trade network--fell victim to the economic crash. Buildings fell into ruins and fires demolished this once bustling town, and Pisaguans began to gather and sell fish, algea, and bird droppings--jobs that are still done today amongst modern Pisaguans. Then, just as hope was spreading throughout Chile--just as progressive socialists and reformists in Northern cities began to gain power and propose positive changes--the tide turned for the worst  and Pisagua, once again, found itself at the center of a new era. Pinochet and his supporters ruled for nearly 25 years. They ruled by force--capturing, torturing, killing, or exiling anyone whose beliefs countered theirs; and they ruled entirely--adapting the ¨earn money now, ask questions later¨ economic policy of the Chicago Boys. Pisagua, unfortunately, was more involved in the former. Rather than re-open its ports to respond to the international deman for Chile´s new copper mines, Pisagua expanded its prison and opened a concentration camp where thousands of men and women would spend their final years. In 1990, a mass-grave was found 5km North of town, but many bodies still go unaccounted for. A memorial and haunting graveyard no stand in this place, in the hopes that ¨nunca màs¨ will such atrocities occur. Now, Pisagua is a small town of less than 350 people, most of whom have recently moved here to live a tranquil life as a fisherman (in fact, only 6 people were born and raised in this town). Three years ago, the goverment began a public works program to improve the 40kms of road between Pisagua and the main highway and to provide a public transportation route that runs three times per week between Iquique and Pisagua. I think this was a way to placate complaining citizens who were asking to re-open Pisagua´s port, but that is just a guess. All and all, Pisagua is still a small, off-the-map-town that has very little access to the rest of Chile and very little access to the rest of the world (save for the algea and fish that they sell to a middle-man in Iquique who then turns around and sells it to a distributer in Japan).
And that´s Pisagua--a small town with a tremendous history--some of it proud and some of it dark. But here´s the thing with Pisagua: it´s history is our history. It´s history is everyone´s history. With the global communication system and the essentially borderless trading  network, the world is becoming seamless and flattened (not to be confused with transparent and equal). For us in the States, this history touches us personally, considering our economic and political practices directly influenced what occured in Pisagua over the past 200 years and considering that we have countless small towns and one motor city that have declined like Pisagua because of outsourcing and shifting economics.
So if their history is our history and our presents are intertwined, then what does that say about our future? That, you need to know, is up to you.We are not all going to agree on what is best for our future; we may not even agree on what was good from our past. But the most important thing for then, now, and later is that we think about it. We live in a world where ideas can be shared at anytime and with anyone. Groups, movements, and networks form at every moment and with people from every corner of the world. We can get our hands on practically any piece of information at any time of the day. So...do it then. Learn what people are saying and doing. Talk with those who share your beliefs and talk with those who think differently. Learn what is happening around the world and learn about the events that led to our current state. And think. Don´t let the lessons of the past go unlearned. Don´t let the exemplars of history go unrewarded. Don´t let thsoe who have fought and died for their passions lose their lives in vain. It is our right and our privilege as human beings to think. But we are losing our desire and our ability to do so. We are losing it to an institutionalized and safe education system, to overstimulating and desensitizing entertainment sources, and to an individualized and egocentric life track. You think about paying your taxes in a few weeks and about how you have to run an extra 15 minutes because you ate that cupcake last night, but you don´t think about how your actions impact the world and how your past has brought you here. Every day you spend as a passive passender on this planet you directly contribute to the invalidation of our past, the destruction of our present, and the instability of our future. Think about Pisagua as an image of your past and use it as a guide to think ourselves a better future.
Then, once you are done thinking...do something about it.