"Pro Mundi and Benefit" The identity of a nation

Before becoming a Republic, and due to its strategic geographical position, Panama always has been a territory for the benefit of the world. 

National identity

 

Culture is the essence of people's identity, a population with its own identity achieves a high level of socialization and development. Each nation has its values, ways of communication, language, and traditions.  The correct cultural policies make citizens capable of developing their morals and ethics with critical thinking.

 

Panamanians have an identity that was strengthened throughout history by the strategic battles that Panama had to face to achieve its independence from Spain, its separation from Colombia, and finally, recover the canal zone and have the Panama Canal administration.

 

A host country

 

Historically, the Republic of Panama has been a host country, recognized for its peaceful identity, respectful of bilateral agreements and multilateral conventions, defender of International Rights, democracy, human rights, and promoter of the peaceful solution of conflicts and international controversies.

 

An example of this is that the history of Panama is marked by situations of tension resolved through negotiation, either with Colombia or the United States, always through the most outstanding and brilliant thinkers that Panama has had in each period. The Panamanian people Always using high diplomacy and politic.

 

This explains why Panama has never had an army, and it is that Panamanians have always explored ways to resolve matters through intellectual people with dialogue and peace.

 

On the other hand, before becoming a Republic, and due to its strategic geographical position, Panama always has been a territory for the benefit of the world. Since the Isthmus soil emerged from the waters millions of years ago, it has served as a passageway for an infinity of animals.

 

Over the years, the Isthmus functioned as a crossing point for Spanish, French, and also for American people, becoming a desired place for powerful nations to construct the interoceanic highway to benefit world transit, which is why the Panamanian shield's motto is "Pro Mundi and Benefit".

 

This vocation as a country of dialogue, respectful of international law and other attributes as a nation led Panama to be seen from an early age as a host country, which led Simón Bolívar to celebrate on Panamanian soil the historical Congress of 1826.

 

This state as a host country has prevailed to the current day, the VII Summit of the Americas being held in 2015, in which all the States of the region participated, including Cuba, and it was the official meeting point for the unforgettable handshake of the Former President of the United States, Barak Obama and the former President of Cuba, Raúl Castro.

 

That important event confirms once again that Panamanian soil is a place of convergence, peaceful settlement of disputes, and a starting point in the direction of peace.

 

A loss identity

 

With all this history, it is not surprising that the Republic of Panama is also a melting pot of races, with Spanish, Antillean, indigenous, Colombian mixtures, among many others nationalities, which means that Panamanians are not a pure race, we are the product of a racial mix of several centuries.

 

Being a country open to the world for its vocation of service has given Panama an interesting history and racial diversity until current days and that gives Panama a special "touch" as a nation.

 

However, once all those victories were achieved, in which the Panamanians adopted that very strong sense of identity and culture, we reached a time without a common struggle, which has caused the loss of identity and union in the last years.

 

Panama needs to recover that identity as a nation. Panamanians need to join each other to fight against poverty and become in the prosperous country that must be. 

 

A cultured people, it is a prosperous people.