Environmental harmony is the idea that people and nature can coexist. This is a major view in Ecuador. They believe they are one with nature. It is a beautiful thing to witness. I first noticed this when we visited the Mindala workshop. The owner was of the Quichua indigenous tribe. He was explaining how they weave and make products from sheep and alpaca. He told us how they could make many more products and money if they used mechanical machines for weaving, but that the Quichua tribe did not care about that. They would rather create the natural way with respect for the environment and be selfless than use machines for greed.
I observed another example of Ecuador being in harmony with nature in Salasacas. The family was giving our group a tour in their home of how they weave and make their own rugs, sweaters, scarves, etc. We noticed the colors of the thread used to weave were very vibrant. The owner then described how in order to make certain colors he would take the blood of a certain type of insect found in his plants. He said he would never use dyes or chemicals to color the thread in order to protect the environment. Everything he used was natural, even though using chemicals would be much easier.
Observing how Ecuadorians preserve the environment made me think about how in the United States we like to be masters of our environment. This means we try to conquer it rather than be one with it. Almost everything is made with chemicals rather than naturally, and if harming the environment can make more money, Americans won’t even think twice about it.
Right now in Ecuador they are experiencing an issue with this harmony. President Correa has authorized the rainforest to be cut down in order to drill for oil. Petroleum is the main export in Ecuador; therefore drilling for more will result in more profit. There has been an abundance of protest against this authorization. The rainforest is home to many animals and is a popular tourist attraction, but mainly this deforestation is destroying the Ecuadorian culture.
Harmony and mastery is one of the main differences I have seen between the culture of Ecuador and the culture of the United States. Almost everything they do involves the outdoors; whether it is walking around the city, in the house with the windows and doors open, or eating meals. This is unlike at home because when I want to eat outside my Dad always responds with, “There’s weather out there” (sorry Dad). This is not bad; it just shows the differences of living in different types of cultures.
