Jake Sullivan - Earth Train Panama
Week 1

Observation

The eyes of Americans are limited, limited to their televisions and the road upon which they drive. Because of this, their eyes become weak. Over time the skill of observation has been lost.  Many Americans cannot see something unless it is coming directly at them or  thrown at them. I am describing this phenomena, because I have recently discovered that I am one of these people.

On Tuesday, June 19, I left with three other interns from the Telluride region on a Pinhead Internship that would span until mid- December. When I arrived at Centro Modrono, I found myself surrounded by wildlife. The ten thousand-acre piece of land owned by EarthTrain, the organization running our internship, is the gateway between North and South America. Every organism migrating from one to the other goes through here.

I thought I would be able to see all of it, take in all the wonders of the jungle, it turns out I was wrong. As we walked through the rainforest, on a trail we were cutting as we went, we were stopped by our local guide to watch a sloth sleep in a tree about 30 yards away. I was in disbelief by the keenness of the guide’s eye. He was able to spot out a creature, with skin designed to camouflage, that I could barely see even after he pointed it out.

As I sat in my mosquito-net bed later that night, I wondered why his abilities we so much better than mine. Of course, there were the obvious reason, he had been living amidst this forest for his whole life and it was my first day here. Still,  I felt like there was something else, some underlying reason. My whole life I had felt like an outdoor backwoods pro, and now, in reflection I believe I looked like a mallrat that has never breathed non-air-conditioned air. Then I realized, my seeing skills have been damaged severely by television and movies. Movies today are much quicker than in the past. Shots are constantly changing to keep up with the A.D.D generation that watch television. These viewers lose the ability to concentrate and observe something that is not right directly in front of them.  These lost souls of the new age, can’t even see a frog on a rock or a snake in a tree because they have never required this skill. The skills they need are lesser things, such as which cords connect to which TV set and how to run a remote. In tthe heart of the Panamanian rainforest, where Television and Internet are sparse, the people living in the forest are some of the only humans left in the world with these abilities of observation.

            So I now add onto my list of skills that I would like to acquire on my internship, the ability to observe. I would like to shed the skin of my closed mind and see the world at its fullest. With time and acquired knowledge I believe this will be possible. This will  be a sublime gift received from this forest and its people.