I read Mario Vargas Llosa's masterpiece "La Guerra del Fin del Mundo" (The War at the End of the World) this past winter. For those of you who haven't read it, I recommend it highly. The timing of my reading, the themes presented in the book and my visual interpretation of Llosa's scenes awoke in me a profound sense that history is indeed repetitive. The proverbial light went on over my head- I realized that with a just a bit of happenstance, the EXACT same story as told in the novel, could happen in Ecuador -- right now and in Mindo!

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"Here, I, Cuatemoc, have come to greet those who attend this solemn reunion. Here, I, a descendent from those who inhabited America 40,000 years ago, have come to greet those who found America only 500 years ago. Here, we all come together. We know who we are, that is sufficient. We will never possess anything else."

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The major division lies somewhere between the priorities of the "developed" world and the concerns of the "developing" world. Finding ways in which these two worlds can intersect, while preserving and sustaining the environment - our life support system- will be the challenge of this summit.

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With the beginning of the World Cup, the question of nations, nationalism and identity occupy my thoughts. What, for example, makes Ecuador Ecuador? Why do I root so strongly for the Ecuadorian national soccer team? Who and what do they represent? Are these questions of any importance?

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The allure of money and the desire to accumulate wealth motivate decisions made in our capitalist world. Even the intrinsic appeal of sex, love, religion and nature cannot compete. In fact, these ideals have been tainted by monetary concerns. From a practical position, one must acknowledge this reality. Given that the promise of materialism has characterized the very development of "modern" societies, it becomes equally clear that an undoing of our harmful priorities will entail a controversial and timely process.

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