El ultimo atardecer en Ometepe

"Out of the midst of the beautiful lake Nicaragua spring two magnificant pyramids, clad in the softest and richest green, all flecked with shadow and sunshine, whose summits pierce the billowy clouds. They look so isolated from the world and its turmoil, so tranquil, so dreamy, so steeped in slumber and eternal repose. What a life one might make among their shady forests, their sunny slopes, their breezy dells, after he had grown weary of the toil, anxiety and unrest of the busteling, driving world..."
             Mark Twain, 1867 'The Twin Mountains' on his trip to Ometepe

It is easy to forget that there is a world outside the island of Ometepe... The sun rises and sets, and the days pass with a fresh breath of tranquility. Digging in the dirt brings about a childlike nostalgia...memories of times when being covered in mud was an accomplishment to be proud of.

Perhaps life at the Finca isn't reality, but the simplicity of that existance is something to strive for. So in this spirit of love and nature, I will share with you some beautiful words that I have encountered along the way.

                                                  Declaration of Interdependence
                                                           . This We Know .
We are the earth, through the plants and animals that nourish us. We are the rains and the oceans that flow through our veins. We are the breath of the forests of the land and the plants of the sea. We are human animals, related to all other life as descendants of the firstborn cell. We share with these kin a common history, written in our genes. We share a common present, filled with uncertainity. And we share a common future, as yet untold.


We humans are but one of thirty million species weaving the thin layer of life enveloping the world. The stability of communities of living things depends upon this diversity. Linked in that web we are interconnected- using, cleansing, sharing and replenishing the fundamental elements of life. Our home, planet earth, is finite- all life shares its resources and energy from the sun, and therefore has limits to growth. For the first time, we have touched those limits. When we compromise the air, the water, the soil and the variety of life, we steal from the endless future to serve the fleating present.
                                      
                                                     . This We Believe .
Humans have become so numerous and our tools so powerful that we have driven fellow creatures to extinction, dammed the great rivers, torn down ancient forests, poisened the earth, rain and wind, and ripped holes in the sky. Our science has brought pain as well as joy- our comfort is paid for by the suffering of millions. We are learning from our mistakes, we are mourning our vanished kin, and we now build a new politics of hope. 


We respect and uphold the absolute need for clean air, water and soil. We see that economic activities that benefit the few while shrinking the inheritance of many are wrong. And since environmental degradation erodes biological capital forever. full ecological and social cost must enter all equations of development. We are one brief generation in the long march of time- the future is not ours to erase. So where knowledge is limited, we will remember all those who will walk after us, and err on the side of caution.


                                                         . This We Resolve .
All this that we know and believe must become the foundation of the way we live. At this turning point in our relationship with the Earth, we work for evolution- from dominance to partnership, from fragmentation to connection, from insecurity to interdependence.

                                                                       -The David Sauki Foundation, Vancouver Canada
                                  ...and special thanks to Ivan, for opening our minds and hearts a little more

namaste, j

looking up at the millions of stars on our last night at the Finca...
   Camila- "So many questions, no? .........And so many answers at the same time."

Thank you Camila for sharing your beautiful light and smile with us. Te llevamos en el corazon siempre