Life of the Ancient Country

 Justin Moses Vera

John Paul II Junior College

Trivium 101

December 8, 2017

Ms. Megan

Vitam Patriae Antiquae

Oh civilization! How have you corrupted over time? You congregate towards obscurity and agony and find pleasure in its prospering. One can perceive this in its quintessence when the world flocked when there was a solar eclipse and everyone congregated in the shade and basked where no light shun. That action mirrors society’s preference for the negative obscurities instead of the wonderful blessings that shine every day.  Hearing the muted cries of the people one can only halt to ponder of the cause as to why the interminable lamentations. Perhaps one may perceive a blissful individual frolicking untroubled, when in reality their soul and existence is being consumed within an interminable contention for knowledge and peace of mind? Where is the spring from which the people can quench their thirst? Could it be the comparable with the words of Horace, “Fortunam et Vitam antiquae patriae saepe laudas sed recusas” (Horace 15) or the literal English translation, “Often you praise, but you reject the fortune and life of ancient fathers”. Horace has a flawless depiction of our predicament in modern day society. Society in fact is challenged with many struggles of which the enclosed mind of modern man may see their solutions as unfathomable and unfixable. Matter a fact, they are, in fact these problems like war, famine, unemployment, violence, social isolation, poverty, crime, racism, drug abuse, environmental pollution and the list goes on. Problems though are not solved not even in the slightest way by complaining and looking at the negatives. In fact, if one looks at the past you can see that our forefathers encountered the same challenges and they overcame greater odds and even though these accomplishments are great one must look at the many achievements of modern man and be willing to contribute to an ever expanding world of progress. In fact, one may even be able to come to the conclusion that if one looks back and appreciates the old, then the new will come easier and the benefits that arise with it will be more astounding than if brought up solely by the experiences of the current generation. Patterns arise throughout history, it is the job of those that are the future to analyze and utilize those patterns for the benefit of mankind. For this purpose was it that three interviews were held with three different individuals of varying ages and backgrounds.

Granted the consent to be interviewed and to be mentioned in this paper, the first interviewee was thirty nine year old Carmencita Kotch. Mother of three kids, her maternal instinct was keen and when asked, “What are some of the important choices or decisions that you have made that you feel you have learnt from the most?” Her answer shook me because speculation caused preconceptions that lead me to believe she would say would concern motherhood but was all the contrary, in this situation she said, “Finishing my studies at a young age. I had to work study because my family could not afford it. I learnt to battle and fight to make ends meet. Because of the efforts I made my Grades were better. That is also why I returned to my studies, to show others that though it may be challenging at times, it is never too late to learn” (Kotch, C. November 30, 2017). In addition to the previously mentioned question, she was asked, “Since you have three kids, what have virtue have you developed? What has been the best and hardest part of having kids?” Unquestionably her response was positive, “Patience, having kids is having a treasure that no one but God can take. The joy of parenthood is knowing that you have done your best in teaching, and leading them down the right path” (Kotch, C. November 30, 2017). Ms. Carms, as she is affectionately known, has had highs and lows, parties, celebrations, funerals, and mourning of 2 sisters and a brother passing away. Nevertheless, she looks at life in a way that most young people today only imagine. Though she has gone through hardships, her will, and perseverance has proved to be her best ally. 

Likewise, with the consent to be interviewed and to be mentioned in this paper, the second person to be interviewed was 54 year old Jorge Rafael Kotch. Married and bearing three kids in that marriage. He is currently a teacher at Mount Carmel High School. In contrast, this interview consisted of the paternal love. In the interview he stated that he had gone to schools like: Technical High school in Belize City where he studied arts and science, Wesley College, Instituto Technologico del Mar in Mexico where he studied aquaculture, and a series of other governmental departments where he worked in until he became a teacher in 2008. Mr. Kotch was asked, “What do you know now that you wish you had known when you were young?” The stories that followed not only were interesting but also unexpected. He stated, “Safety in the workplace. I almost died twice. The first was in a car crash that I had with some friends who got drunk and drove home like that. The second was in Pine Ridge when I got run over by a truck, luckily I reacted in time and it just broke my leg. Another time I cut off a piece of my pinky with a saw. All of these incidents happened due to carelessness in and around the workplace” (Kotch, J, R. November 30, 2017). Correspondingly another question was asked, “How did you decide what you wanted to do with your life?” His response was expected due to his long academic history. “I always thought about the future, and I placed achievable goals. In high school I was fond of science, fisheries, and aquaculture. I worked hard to get scholarships because my family could not afford to send me where I wanted to go. In fact my family did not know I was going to Mexico. I had determination, and what I feel helped me the most was that I listened to the advice of others” (Kotch, J, R. November 30, 2017).

In addition, with the consent to be interviewed and to be mentioned in this paper, the third person to be interviewed was 88 year old, widow, and retired chiclero Ignacio Castellanos. He was the second of two children. His brother recently passed away. Unlike his parents who only had two, “Don Nacho” as he is more commonly known, had eleven children! During the course of his life he went from cook, to tender of donkeys, chiclero, to mason, to one of his latter occupation which was bar owner. The reason for him working the various jobs was because his father, Onofre Castellanos, took him out of school at age fourteen. Since then his life would be weighed with the burden of sustaining the lives of his children and beloved wife. He was asked, “If you could go back to any age, which age would it be and why?” His answer was a bit heartbreaking, “I would go back to the ages between eighteen and twenty. Those were the years that I would not think I would only party and drink and waste my life. The whole reason was because a chiclero earns good money and back when I was younger everything was cheaper. So with one pay you could stay drunk for weeks. I would go to work drunk sometimes. If I could go back to those years, I would change that, due to the drinking my liver is the way it is” (Castellanos, I. December 1, 2017). My biggest curiosity was what had he learnt or what had he been able to observe in his years of life. I asked and he stated, what in my personal opinion the best part of the interview, “Change is inevitable. I have seen us leave a century behind and bring a new one in. Time is only measured by progress and not withering and deterioration” (Castellanos, I. December 1, 2017). When he stated that I was speechless because I had the sudden realization on how profound and how wise you get as the years go by. In each interview the responses were not hesitated and the responses usually came with some sort of life lesson. The interviews were less than half an hour yet the benefit of practical knowledge is priceless.

Contrary though to the arguments of old is good, modern life has had many benefits that were just not accessible to ancient man. To illustrate, “By design, man has always received information from the world outside of himself through his senses. However, in ancient times the senses of man were limited in what they could experience by the local environment. Today such limitations are far less” (Some differences in life, 2017). Indeed it is, for the differences are in all senses, be it sight, smell, taste, touch, or hearing. To demonstrate in short, modern day life has come far compared to a time when sight was so finite and simple to be buckled down to rare “photographs, drawings, and paintings. Man’s visual input was limited to the sights of his immediate surroundings. With few written documents and little literacy, reading and analyzing documents was unusual” (Some differences in life, 2017). Now “Technology allows almost anyone to have almost any type of visual input, regardless of their environment. With millions of documents on every conceivable subject available to most people in an instant, people can spend large percentages of their time on them” (Some differences in life, 2017). Not only was the senses starved and deprived of variety but also our schedules were so “governed by the realities of nature in a way that few people living today can even imagine. Sundials, water clocks and other devices were used to tell time in the ancient world, but mechanical clocks were not invented until the early Renaissance. The rhythms of the seasons dictated schedules” (Some differences in life, 2017). 

In closing, the forefathers are not just long faces that look forward only to the day they are buried. In just three persons interviewed there was 181 years of experience, knowledge and wisdom. One can really be surprised and left awe struck with their stories and their random facts. In this situation, having considered all things and having viewed both sides of life, thus one can conclude that ignorance of the past results in valuable information being lost for perhaps generations to come. The accomplishments due to the presence of the needs of our forefathers will only continue to expand. Overall, it may be said that if we look at the past and see our forefathers challenges and how they overcame great odds. Even though these accomplishments are great they looked at the many achievements of modern man were willing to contribute to an ever expanding world of progress. In fact, if one looks back and appreciates the old then the new will come easier and the benefits that arise with it will be more astounding than if brought up solely by the experiences of the current generation. Unquestionably all mortals age, how would you feel if all you wanted to do was sit and speak to someone perhaps guide them or just give them a positive little anecdote and you are unable because they see you as just a hindrance to their gadget time. How would that make you feel? Would it make you flash back to those times that you undermined the wrinkled smile an elder sent your direction? Perhaps, or perhaps the answer is to: senex respice ad futurum, et inter amplexus (embrace the old and look to the future).



Works Cited

Horace. “Sententiae Antiquae.” Wheelock’s Latin. Fredrick M. Wheelock. 6th Edition. HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. 10 East 53rd Street, New York. 2000. Print 

Institute, M. (2017, July 13). Some Differences in Life between the Ancient and Modern Worlds. Retrieved November 13, 2017, from https://mdharrismd.com/2012/03/11/some-differences-in-life-between-the-ancient-and-modern-worlds

Kotch, Carmencita. (2017, November 30). Personal Interview.

Kotch, Jorge, Rafael. (2017, November 30). Personal Interview.

Castellanos, Ignacio. (2017, December 1). Personal Interview.