A Life Of Peace, A Life Of Freedom, A Life In Belize

On The Road To Nowhere—Finding Utopia In Belize

Huxley’s quote from 1934 holds true still today…

When I wake up in the morning from my carefree slumber in Belize, with the sun shining and the birds singing, it’s easy to think that all’s well in the world. But as soon as I turn on the television, this illusion of a peaceful world is shattered. I realize that the tranquillity and freedom I enjoy here in Belize are rare treasures.

To understand what life in Belize is like, you must first understand what it isn’t…

Day to day life on this little sliver of Central American coastline is not a frenzied, high-paced rat race. There is no fevered, keeping-up-with-the-Jones’s competition… no need to accumulate things you don’t need to impress people you don’t like. There’s no struggle for sanity and safety as opposing factions violently rip society apart.

I’m not saying outright that everywhere else is a mess… but, I have to say, from us in Belize looking out at the rest of the world… it sure seems like it. Atrocities are hitting the civilized world in ways that have not been seen since World War II. Hundreds massacred in France, Belgium, Germany, United States, Turkey, and Thailand. Not just in a once off mass murder, but in repeated, highly organized, targeted attacks on civilian populations. The sophisticated law enforcement officers of these “powerful yet peaceful” countries seem powerless to do anything about it.

The United States has seen its share of chilling acts of violence also. From the 9/11 attacks and attempts to repeat these horrors to the domestic terrorism of mass shootings in schools, malls, and cinemas.

Polarizing effects of religion and race are rampant all over the world. In North America, Europe, and Asia we see youths being radicalized and potentially turned into the next wave of attackers.

I’m not trying to spread fear or hate, these extremists only make up a tiny fraction of the groups they come from, but every day we see new reports of the stark outcomes of these small minorities.

The strife tearing apart the United States isn’t restricted to religious ideology… In some regions police are being targeted by those who see a race war on the horizon for the country.

My “prepper” friends see this turmoil as the realization of their worst fears. Their decision to split from the mainstream and go it alone, living life in bunkers with their guns, canned food, and conspiracy theories, has been ostensibly vindicated.

That’s not a life for me… to be isolated with no community is a decision sprung from fear. I do, however, want to feel assured that should there be an abrupt change in our society, my family and I are secure.

But am I going out and digging a hole to hide in as this end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it scenario unfolds?

Will I be building a fortress to protect my family for the marauding hoards after the fabric of our society is torn apart?

Hell no!

I don’t need to—I live in Belize.

How does living in Belize mitigate the turmoil spreading throughout the industrialized world? Here are 10 reasons.

Belize is…

1. Off-the-beaten-path: Most of the world doesn’t even know Belize exists. Until the year before I moved to Belize, 12 years ago, I had never heard of it, and I consider myself a fairly knowledgeable and well-read person. When I arrived, one of the more popular shirts in tourist shops said, “Where the hell is Belize?” Not much has changed since then.

2. Peaceful: Belize has no history of civil unrest, and Belizeans are by and large a peaceful people. There has never been an armed insurrection, coup d’état, invasion, or anything of the like in well over a hundred years—long before Belize was even a country. The closest we come to an uprising happens around Christmas week when the local brewery inevitably runs out of beer, that’s as worked up as Belizeans get. Belizeans are so laid back they are nearly horizontal.

3. Free and tolerant: In everything from politics to stray dogs and religion to bad roads, Belizeans are tolerant. Above and beyond that, Belizeans are fundamentally all about mutual respect and freedom. They have very little interest in meddling in other people’s affairs.

Belizean society embraces diversity, whether speaking about race or sexual orientation or anything else. While politicians struggle with how to codify society’s wishes, people go about their day-to-day lives practicing a civilized mutual respect and love of freedom.

In a small society such as this, people are treated as individuals, so being part of an oppressed class of people is often lost on the man on the street. If someone is unfamiliar, they are likely to be more interesting to Belizeans, and they’ll be given the freedom to be themselves and to be respected for who they are… unless they turn out to be a jerk. Even then I have been astonished by the Belizean capacity to tolerate some awfully ugly people. Once again, where there is mutual respect, there is freedom, tolerance, and acceptance.

Religious radicalization or extremism around the world is something that people are increasingly concerned about. On this issue, too, Belizean society practices freedom, tolerance, and acceptance… but mostly because it practices apathy. For example, 40% of Belizeans proudly claim to be Catholic, but many of them only attend church once or twice a year. You can be sure that they aren’t going to judge someone else’s religion, lest they be judged.

As a former British Colony, Christianity is the most popular faith (72%) with several churches throughout the country. While Catholicism is the predominant Christian denomination, there are a number of Protestant churches, including Methodist, Adventist, and Mennonite.

Judaism (1.1%), Jehovah’s Witnesses (1.7%), and Mormons (1.4%) have their adherents in Belize, but these are relatively small populations.

Members of other faiths such as Buddhism (820), Hinduism (650), and Islam (375) are so small that combined they are only about 1% of the population. On the other hand, I think there are a lot more Rastafarians than what is reported. Of course, I’m not sure that most of the Rastas even realize it’s a religion… I think they just like Bob Marley music, “natty dread” fashion, and the laid-back lifestyle. And that’s just fine with me—who’s ever heard of a Rasta extremist?

4. Non-violent: Belize does not have a gun culture, they don’t fancy their knives, and they are not into bomb-making. Like any society, Belize must contend with crime, but Belizeans are culturally non-violent. Don’t be fooled by the sensationalist statistics or news stories. Modern-day gang influence in certain areas of Belize City creates per-capita statistics which belie the true nature of the country.

Belize is still an entire country that feels like a small town, which means it is a close and intimate society, which is the greatest protection against radicalization of youth and the disenfranchised.

5. Off-the-radar: This little country is strategically unimportant to any country other than the United States, the U.K., and Guatemala.

The British Army has a base here, kept open with a small staff to facilitate large jungle training exercises with U.S., Canadian, and European forces.

Being a Commonwealth member, our little hideaway has stronger connections with larger nations than its small population might suggest.

The U.S. Embassy in Belize—along with all U.S. Embassies worldwide—is being issued two platoons of marines to safeguard against any future turmoil that might occur in the region. The Belize Defence Force (the national army) consists of a little over 1,900 members.

When Guatemala started sabre rattling in the early 80s, pressing their archaic claim to parts of Belize territory (to mask the major severe social problems that were affecting its own society at the time), it sent its army to the border the two countries share.

The RAF (Royal Air Force of the U.K.) dispatched a squadron of Harrier Jump Jets to protect their little charge. When the Guatemalan Army saw the fleet hovering just over the trees behind the Belizean border, the army abandoned their trucks and ran away into the jungle en masse.

A decommissioned Harrier Jet still sits today in the car park of the international airport to commemorate this great victory—won with no shots fired, but many Guatemalan pants soiled.

The jet had always been positioned non-aggressively, facing away from the Guatemalan border since its installation decades ago. Now that Guatemala is again pressing the territory issue—now taking it further, appealing to the International Court of Justice (ICJ)—it has been freshly painted and repositioned, now facing back at Guatemala… a quiet gesture.

Guatemala’s 160-year-old territorial claim to a portion of Southern Belize is currently being dealt with in the ICJ, and their claim is weak. Especially since over 100 countries, including Guatemala itself, have recognized Belize’s sovereignty.

6. Resilient: Modern utility infrastructure and information technology are relatively recent arrivals to Belize, so almost everyone could easily revert to an off-line, self-sufficient lifestyle.

Electricity is not yet nationwide, and some, like the Mennonites, eschew it by choice. The current power grid has improved and is actually fairly reliable, but a large part of the population is still within a generation or two of having no electricity… so they don’t panic when the lights go out.

Water systems in most areas are still rudimentary, and it’s surprisingly common for village water pumps to break and go weeks or months without being fixed. When that happens, the villagers shrug their shoulders and grumble a bit about the current government as they pull on their boots, grab a bucket, and head to the river.

Cell phones have swept across Belize, like everywhere, at an alarming rate, so the majority of the populace is connected telephonically to some degree. I know several people without indoor plumbing who have cell phones… just one more aspect of the charming quirkiness of Belize.

If people in Belize lost access to power, water, and telecommunications for an extended period of time, they wouldn’t panic; there would be no massive cultural upset that would occur in the 100%-plugged-in, rich industrialized countries,

7. Convenient: Belize is close to the United State and flying here is easy. However, if things ever got really chaotic and flights were no longer an option, you could sail, motorboat, drive, or catch a bus to your Belizean hideaway. I actually have a friend who set out on horseback from Oregon to Chetumal (Mexican city on the Belize border). He fell in love in Arizona and started a family there before loading everyone up and driving to Belize. I met him on my first trip to Belize and when I heard that story, I thought to myself, “If this place is close enough that someone could ride a horse to get here, then it’s close enough for me.”

8. Food Secure: Belize has an abundance of naturally occurring food sources and a tiny population. Walk down the road in Belize and you will see mangoes, coconuts, avocadoes, breadfruit, game animals and more, all growing healthily in the wild. And all for the picking, if you should choose.

Belize has an abundance of marine and river fish and it is a common sight to see people catching their dinner by hand-lining a hook with a wad of bread on it. Half the country consists of national parks, in which you can hunt with a license in season. In good times and bad people can and do get their own food, they won’t need to fight you for yours.

Effective natural remedies for a myriad of aliments can be found in the jungle if you take a little time to learn where to look.

Many people, gringos and Belizeans alike, operate some kind of backyard subsistence agriculture. There are up to three growing seasons in Belize per year. (In Ireland, my home country, we’re lucky if we get one.) Growth rates in the subtropics are phenomenal, and, with a little knowledge, you can grow your entire diet in your own backyard without a lot of effort—or, for even less effort, you can pay someone to do it for you.

9. Naturally comfortable: Cold weather is a natural weather cycle that Belize does not have to contend with. There are no heating bills, no danger of dying of the cold, your home can just be a roof to keep the rain off your head. Since the warm tropical climate also means sunshine and bugs, porches and screens are nice features. In true Belizean fashion, these features are embraced, and a porch typically becomes part of the living space. After all, the country motto—emblazoned on the national flag—is “Sub Umbra Floreo,” meaning, “under the shade we flourish.” A nice shady porch with a cold drink in hand is an ideal way to relax, entertain, and flourish in Belize.

10. Natural-resource rich: Belize has an embarrassment of riches when it comes to natural resources, certainly when you measure it on a per-capita basis. Yet, there is no supply of a natural resource that is so abundant that it attracts major international attention.

The wealth of the essential elements for living allows Belizeans to feel secure, and, I believe, is one of the reasons they are consistently considered among the happiest people on Earth.

Water, water, everywhere—and plenty of it to drink! One of the main reasons that Belize was able to support a Maya population of four times the current population is because of the vastness of its riverine and aquifer systems.

Another reason is the soil fertility and expansive arable land. As a member of CARICOM (Caribbean Free Trade Organization), Belize is truly a breadbasket for the Caribbean. CARICOM primarily consists of tiny island nations, and this is one of the few scenarios in which Belize is one of the biggest trading partners at the table.

Timber and forestry is as much a part of what defines Belize as any other aspect of its past and present. From Mayan forest gardeners to British colonization, the extraordinary forests of Belize possess ample natural resources to provide food, shelter, and clothing. The government of Belize has wisely established huge areas of protected lands for future generations.

People have been searching for utopia since Thomas Moore coined the phrase in his titular work of fiction in 1516. Most don’t realize that the word utopia is formed of Greek words meaning “no place.” I think back to Huxley’s immortal words: “…not on the way from anywhere to anywhere else.” I know Belize is not utopia, but perhaps it is on the road from no place to nowhere… and that is a good place to be in the world’s current climate… a place I appreciate more and more every day.

Next time a tumultuous event happens somewhere else, perhaps you should get on the road to nowhere—that’s where you’ll find Belize.

Con Murphy
Belize Insider

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