Page 293 - tesis

They also think that it is not only the absence of schooling but a lack of courage to change their context. They consider that poverty is also due to the Guatemalan mentality of \u2018accepting things, the incapacity to make decisions, mediocrity, and not giving the best one can, which are part of the culture (L1IFG). One lay man of a middle class family said that the Guatemalans \u2018are culturally programmed to have limitations\u2019 (L4ESH9), which is translated, into a \u2018lack of desire to improve, laziness, and down heartedness\u2019 (L3FCG) The NPL affirm that this attitude is deep rooted and is part of the idiosyncrasy which prevents their development in different directions. According to Casaus Arz\u00FA these opinions reflect in some way the Guatemalan\u2019s elite point of view on the indigenous people (1995: 21-25). On other hand, the NPL emphasis the way in which the absence of Christian values affects the manner in which one looks at life and faces its problems. The negative paradigms inherited from the Catholic Iberian culture do not help people to improve their socio- economic level. For that reason they ask for a Christian education that will change those values.\u000AThe survey that went to the SNPEP emphasized the role of education to eradicate poverty [Table 5.13]. According to NPL education must \u2018create a mentality of development and progress for all\u2019 (L5ESH). This position has led them to promote the foundation of schools in urban and rural areas. Of course, a more egalitarian distribution of education is not a guarantee of raising incomes for everyone equally (Ferranti 2004: 178). The educational factor in reality cannot be separated from the other socio-economic problems that affect Guatemalans.\u000A280\u000A