Who Wants a Better Stick?

A few weeks ago we had the opportunity to visit Spanish Lookout in Belize. It is a community of Mennonites, who have a marvelous story that shows you what can be possible with hard work and the desire to be better.

52 years ago 40 families moved to Belize to start a new life, away from the damaging cultural trends and influences they saw in the States and Canada. Unfortunately, once they arrived they lost literally everything they had. The way to grow food and survive in hot wet Belize was very different from what they had been taught. They spent the first rainy season living under tarps in the jungle. They had less than their poor Belizean neighbors and lost all their children to Malaria.

Their neighbors showed them how to plant corn by burning off the land, then using a stick to poke a hole in the land, bending over and dropping some seeds in the dirt and moving on. This back breaking work gave results and they had enough food their second year to survive.

The next year somebody came up with the idea to put a foot pedal on the stick so that instead of forcing the stick into the ground, they could step on it to make the hole. This greatly reduced blisters and made the work a little bit easier.

The next year somebody else decided to make the stick hollow so that they could drop the seed down through the hole without having to bend over. Once again, the work was easier and they got more done.

The next year a hopper was designed that would automatically dispense the seeds down the stick.

Now, 52 years later, Spanish Lookout is responsible for 82% of all produce in the country of Belize. Instead of sticks, they use tractors, combines and airplanes. The man who showed us around is personally responsible for 96% of all rice consumed in and exported from Belize.

At their 50 year anniversary celebration, they invited all the men who helped them when they first arrived. They were sharing memories and talking about where they came from. When asked how the Belizeans were planting their corn they replied, "We poke a stick into the ground."

What is it about the US mentality that makes one yearn to have better, to figure out how to work half as much and earn double? Dando vuelta a la tortilla (flipping around the tortilla), what is it about the Guatemalan mindset where they are content do things the same way it's always been done, without ever questioning why or if there's a better way?