Hidden Instabilität – Ecuador and Switzerland (Part 59)

Transposing emblem by Karina Kreuzer

Coming from a beautiful but underdeveloped country like Ecuador, I have no trouble addressing one of our country’s Achilles’ heels: inestabilidad. It has been a part of our political historia and has become part of our tejid – who we are. Just like celebrating fútbol matches, drinking beer, spending time with la familia and los amigos, trying to cheat the system, making fun of the government and its parties, etc. Political corrupción in particular has caused repeated economic and social crises leading to a constante state of uncertainty, lack of credibility in the government, loss of recognition internacional… which all together has relegated this land paradisíaca to a state of perpetual inestabilidad.

Quito, Ecuador – The hummingbird

And then there is the weather. Even it can be considered inestable. It is an ever-changing sucesión of mild-summer days in the coastal and Amazon regiones; always nice and smooth but windy in the Galapagos Islands; and hot, rainy, windy, and warm in the Highlands. All of the latter in just one day. We do not have seasons, but this mixture of all seasons in one day or month. If that influences people’s desorganización and lack of planning, it also results in non-stop producción of fruits, vegetables and flowers, or people’s personal sort of inestabilidad… could also be a topic of discusión.

Iluman, Ecuador – At the artisan shop

On the other side of the Ozean, in Switzerland – my home now – the seasons are not only consistent, predictable (with occasional changes) and orderly, but they also influence every single Aspekt of society. Or at least many of them. In Switzerland we organize the Produktion, the harvest, the consumption of seasonal goods, specific outfits, sports, hobbies and working hours by the weather, month and quarter, and so people learn to be orderly. They must! They wait for the Sommer to eat strawberries and Tomaten, for the winter to snowboard, for the autumn to decorate and eat pumpkins and chestnuts, and for the spring to go on vacation to less cold or inexpensive countries.

Cotacachi, Ecuador – At the Inti Raymi celebration

However, Instabilität in Switzerland is more pervasive and destructive. It is hidden. It lies underneath some people’s clothes and coats, inside their minds and souls. It lives in their aching hearts, as their souls are in pain, sometimes in such pain that they decide to die. That is when you wonder how much physiologische, physical, internal or spiritual Instabilität could lead to such a Krise or terminal state. How terrible could their current or past situation be that they would rather throw themselves into the tracks, right before a train goes by, painfully but instantly ending their life… (?!)

Wengen, Switzerland – At the empty station

Is such pain better than life’s pain? Certainly not. This is a beautiful, neat and outstanding country with one of the best social systems and benefits in the world, where poverty is measured by indicators quite distant from those in poor countries (i.e. not being able to go abroad for vacation). People not only work, but love their jobs (with the normal exceptions); they are friendly at any public service counter (with quite sporadic exceptions); and they enjoy life. But the fact that some are able to smile and relax at the end of the day, and others decide to jump off a bridge to end their life shows that Instabilität in the Helvetic Community is a matter of extremes. Whether you are happy and successful or miserable.

Leventina Valley, Switzerland – The hydroelectric power plant

Another type of Instabilität in this country is seen in progress, what I call “probable Instabilität.” Switzerland is such a well-structured and organisiertes and forward-planning country that it is already looking to change their social security system to prevent a “gap” in their budget for retired people in the future. According to André Miranda, a consultant at one of the biggest insurance companies, the gap is not huge, but when the Baby Boomer generation retires, they will not have enough to assure a peaceful and stable retirement. Therefore, the current workforce – youths and adults and almost retired workers – are already paying high taxes and insurance premiums to try to close this gap. But even that is not enough. The problem has not been resolved yet and will generate more and further Debatten, even if it has to do with only a worrying situation in the distant future.

Zurich, Switzerland – Mannequins – Felker

In many other countries, such as Ecuador or, even worse at the moment Venezuela, people and governments are trying to survive today. There is not the time, the resources, nor the energy to think about the next 10, 15, 25 years. There is definitely a visión and esperanza that better civil servants will guide the country in the right direction but, in the meantime, there is only one concern for everyone: get to the end of the month or decidir how to limit expenses.

Basel, Switzerland- At the carnival – Kobby Dagan

In a world with solchen extreme diferencias, it is fair to ask what a sane solución for Millionen of people living in such different conditions and environments could be. A fusion? Many who commit suicide in europäischen countries have drug and/or Alkohol problems, experience loneliness or suffer from excessive stress. Many who deal with economic problemas in South American countries might not have the money to buy drugs or a job to stress about, but like birds of a feather, they flock together. “Where four can eat, five can easily eat as well” goes one of the typical sayings in Ecuador. If emotionally unstabile citizens in Switzerland had less in the bank, fewer houses and apartments, and more friends and Familie, if the industrial tools and organizational skills were fused with the attitude comunal of a land like Ecuador… then in all likelihood there would be a sharp drop in the number of trains delayed.¹

Karina Kreuzer

(1) Everyone in Switzerland knows what it means when a train is running late due to a human accident. Those delays are the only exception to punctuality. In Ecuador to be punctual is an exception.