The National Day of Mourning - Choosing for a Non-violence attitude.

Today is the National Day of Mourning in the Netherlands. A day for all to stand still and think about all the victims of the plane crash last Thursday, 17^th of July. A day to think about how fragile and valuable life is, and to give support to those who are now mourning their lost loved ones.

But then I watch the television, and I feel sort of uncomfortable…It’s alright to proclaim today as a National Day of Mourning, but…to me it seems as if many people, who have no relation whatsoever with the victims, let themselves be led by the enormous sadness, grief and suffering 200 Dutch families are passing through. It’s like a collective form of mass hysteria (that’s how I would call, it, although I know it’s not right). The media is constantly only broadcasting news about the plane crash, about how horrible it is, how sad, about basically everything that has anything to do with it. It makes me feel sick, because that’s just the media exploiting a tragic event. It makes me feel uncomfortable, because so many people go along with something that is indeed tragic, but - in short- none of their business.

Because all those Dutch people, oh, how they mourn collectively. How they sympathize. And that’s it. Then life goes on, as many say.

But I don’t see it that way. Instead of collective mourning, people should think deeper, profounder (however comforting this might be for some, because I know it also has its good sides). They should think about why this happened. Don’t understand me wrongly: not how. Why did this happen?.

It is sad, no, infinitely more than sad, that we live in a world where violence is still one of humans most common attitudes. Already in the 70’s, in the time of the hippies, people dreamt of a better world, worldwide peace, stopping discrimination, equal rights, etc. But nooo. We’re still going the way we were, which is, in short, letting ourselves be guided by our ego and our primitive impulses, fighting with other humans for power, territory, riches…

Don’t we ever learn from the past? Obviously not. We aren’t capable of long term thinking, and even less capable of thinking in any other time that besides our own lifespan.  The consequence of this is that we forget the horrors of violence, war, and whatever kind of human attitude that only exists to satisfy ones ego. This means that conflicts and wars will continue emerging around the world.

I’m writing this based on the events of the airplane crash MH-17 in Ukraine. A plane with almost 300 passengers on board, probably shot down by Russian separatists in Ukraine because they thought it was a Ukrainian airplane. An act of pure violence, that will affect the lives of 300 families forever, families who never had anything to do with the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.

Because, listen well: Wars and conflicts rarely cause victims who are directly implicated, but rather almost always affect people who have nothing to do with it. This way, the wave of violence expands, because they will always want an eye for an eye (and thus, the world goes blind).

What conflict between people can be so extreme that people end up killing others? And…have they never stopped to think in the immense amount of suffering they cause because they are persuading their ego?

It’s unbelievable. But we never learn from the past. People always focus on the differences between other humans. Differences in opinion, beliefs, skin color, culture…But, aren’t there more things that unite us then things that separate us? Aren’t we all human? Aren’t we all capable of loving, compassion, empathy, understanding when we are born? Why focus so much on what separates us as humans? Instead we should accept those differences and rejoice, because those differences makes each of us unique, precious, valuable!

Be different, and make sure you do learn from the errors others commit. Make sure that you will end up seeing violence as the most harming and useless attitude a human is capable of. Violence is useless, it only causes suffering. A war never has winners, only losers. Everyone loses once they are implicated in acts of violence. Do you want to be part of the violent attitude? Or will you choose for no violence, tolerance, compassion, respect? It’s your decision, but you must know that, although you’re only one person, your actions will affect the world. You, and only you, are capable of deciding what footprint to leave behind on this world.

For me it’s clear. I say NO to violence, at all the possible levels (yes, think about that, it’s a lot harder then you’d think at first notice). I say NO to suffering. And I know that, with this life-attitude, I will make a difference in the world, no matter how little. 

importance of education / importancia de la educación

Especially the last few weeks i have been thinking a lot about the importance of education. I have always found it fundamentally important for the development of the human mind.

Regretfully, it seems as if education is still not valued much. It’s only a few decades since education is accessible to almost everyone in the developed countries, but it seems as if many people feel indifferent towards education, or even think it’s useless.

A good example is when you go to schools of 12-16 year olds. I know just such example, a school where I also went to. Observe a while and you will hear the greatest part of the youngsters comment that they hate school, that it doesn’t serve them, that it’s only a waste of time and energy. Of course, teenagers are almost a human species apart, being in the age of mayor changes and rebellion, but I still find it disgraceful, disrespectful and untgrateful that they say such things. And surely those ideas don’t just come from them. Parents and culture too have a part in that. in places where there has always been work to find no matter if you were unschooled, it is now hard to accept for the people that it is important to be educated, or else you will not find work and you will not be able to sustain yourself and your family. Besides, in these times that we call “crisis”,  many of the poorer families don’t even want to send their children to school, because to them its seen as a waste of money and time, and the child can better do “useful work”, even if they are underage.

Surely, how you think about education depends a lot on whether you have had good, motivating teachers, or if you have only had teachers that humiliated and treated you badly. And it also depends on the amount of self-discipline and love for learning one has. Of course, this whole thing of “bad/good teacher” is really quite subjective. I have had teachers everyone else called bad, but who always treated me kindly and respectful because they knew me and my love for knowledge. And teachers are also often called bad because they are driven to craziness by classes full of- excuse me- rebellious, uninterested, wild human-like creatures called teenagers.

But of course, now I am talking about education referring to schools. But to me education is not only about learning about something that happened in some past moment, or about the orthographic rules of a language, or the mysteries of nature. Which of course are all gone through a highly selective filter so that the youngsters are only teached what the government wants them to know. A bit off topic, but nevertheless two things I would like to comment here about history classes: every nation loves to narrate exaggeratingly nice about the things they’ve done right, but are very silent about the horrendous things they’ve done. And the second thing: if we are supposed to get history classes so that we learn from the past; then why are we still making the same mistakes as we made years ago with certain things?

Ok, well, to get back to my subject. My belief is that education should also include teachings about LIFE. Which to me seems absolutely basic, but nevertheless it has never even been considered to be teached at schools. But be honest with yourself: What is more important than learning about peace, love, respect? What is more important than learning to be grateful, to care about others, and to care about the Earth?

But no... Schools are too busy teaching children about facts, many of which are absolutely useless in daily life, whilst to me it seems just as important, or even more important, that children learn about life, about how to care for themselves, about how to care about others. About how to love and be happy.

It just saddens me deeply, knowing that so many people in the world have never been shown the most basic things that will undoubtly grant you a happy life. I’m not saying an easy life, but a happier one. Happiness comes from inside. But someone does have to show you the correct road to follow.

I'm not finished writing about this subject, and at a certain moment I will continue saying more about this. If you want to comment me anything, you're free to do so. Thank you again for reading my blog dear reader!

"Educación es la herramienta mas poderosa que puedes utilizar para cambiar el mundo" Nelson Mandela

Especialmente en las últimas semanas he estado pensando mucho sobre la importancia de la educación. Siempre lo he considerado fundamentalmente importante para el desarrollo de la mente humana.

Lamentablemente, parece como si la educación todavía no es valorada mucho. Hace sólo unas pocas décadas desde que la educación es accesible a casi todas las personas en los países desarrollados, pero parece que muchas personas se sienten indiferentes hacia la educación, o incluso piensen que es inútil.

Un buen ejemplo es cuando vas a institutos con jóvenes de 12-16 años de edad. Conozco  exactamente un ejemplo así, una escuela a donde yo también fui. Observad un rato y oyeras a la mayor parte de los jóvenes comentando que odian la escuela, que no les sirve de nada, que es sólo una pérdida de tiempo y energía. Por supuesto, los adolescentes son casi una especie humana aparte, al estar en la edad de sufrir grandes cambios y de ser un poco rebelde, pero todavía me resulta vergonzoso, irrespetuoso y sin agradecimiento  que dicen tales cosas. Claro, esas ideas no sólo vienen de ellos. Los padres y la cultura también tienen un papel en eso. En los lugares donde siempre ha habido trabajo disponible, independientemente de tu nivel de escolarización, ahora es difícil de aceptar para la gente que es importante ser educados, porque si no, no encontrarán trabajo y no serán capaces de mantener a sus mismos y sus familias. Además, en estos tiempos que llamamos "crisis", muchas de las familias más pobres ni siquiera quieren enviar a sus hijos a la escuela, porque ellos lo consideran como una pérdida de tiempo y dinero, y los niños mejor deben hacer "trabajo útil ", incluso si son menores de edad.

Sin duda, tu forma de pensar sobre la educación depende mucho de sí has tenido buenos profesores, quien te motivaron, o si sólo has tenido profesores quien te han humillado y tratado mal. Y también depende de la cantidad de disciplina propia y amor por el aprendizaje que uno tiene. Por supuesto, toda esta cosa de "malo / bueno maestro" es bastante subjetiva. He tenido a profesores sobre las cuales otros decían que eran muy malos, pero que siempre me ha tratado con amabilidad y respeto, porque conocían a mí y a mi amor por el conocimiento. Y ocurre a menudo que los maestros son llamados malos porque se vuelven locos a causa de las clases llenas de - perdón por mi lenguaje- criaturas rebeldes, desinteresados, y salvajes llamados adolescentes.

Pero, por supuesto, ahora estoy hablando de la educación refiriéndome a las escuelas. Sin embargo, la educación para mí no solo es de aprender sobre algo que sucedió en algún momento pasado, o sobre las reglas ortográficas de la lengua, o los misterios de la naturaleza. Todo que por supuesto se ha ido todo a través de un filtro altamente selectivo de forma que los jóvenes sólo aprenden lo que el gobierno quiere que ellos sepan. Un poco fuera de tema, pero sin embargo, dos cosas que me gustaría comentar aquí acerca de las clases de historia: cada nación le encanta narrar exageradamente bueno de las cosas que han hecho bien, pero son muy silenciosos sobre las cosas terribles que han hecho. Y la segunda cosa: si se supone que debemos tener las clases de historia para que podamos aprender del pasado, entonces ¿por qué seguimos cometiendo los mismos errores que hicimos hace años con ciertas cosas? 

Ok, bueno, para volver a mi tema. Mi creencia es que la educación también debe incluir enseñanzas sobre la vida. Algo que me parece absolutamente básico, pero sin embargo nunca ha sido considerado de ser enseñada en las escuelas. Pero sea honesto con tu mismo: ¿Qué es más importante que aprender sobre paz, amor, respeto? ¿Qué es más importante que aprender a ser agradecido, a preocuparse por otros, y cuidar de la Tierra?

Pero no... Las escuelas están demasiado ocupados con enseñar los  niños sobre hechos, muchos de los cuales son absolutamente inútiles en la vida diaria, mientras que a mí me parece tan importante, o incluso más importante, que los niños aprenden acerca de la vida, acerca de cómo cuidar de sí mismos, acerca de cómo cuidar de los demás. Acerca de cómo amar y ser feliz.

Simplemente me entristece mucho, sabiendo que tantas personas en el mundo nunca se les ha demostrado las cosas más básicas que indudablemente les otorgarán una vida feliz. No estoy diciendo una vida fácil, pero más feliz si. La felicidad viene de adentro. Pero alguien tiene que mostrar el camino correcto para seguir.

Aun no he acabado de escribir sobre este tema, y sin duda en algún momento continuare escribiendo sobre esto. Si deseas comentarme algo, siéntete libre de hacerlo. Muchas gracias querido lector por leer mi blog :)

The need of a change of system

Last saturday morning, I have had a very interesting conservation with my family about the world welfare, the world economy, world health, the problems of food scarcity, and the actual system the world runs on.

There are a few things I would very much like to comment here, because I believe it is of great importance for people to become conscious of how things are at this moment.

Our actual system (with that I include EVERYTHING. Economy as well as politics, lifestyle etc) has come to an end. Let me explain. This system has worked a long time, and in the age it was “invented”, it was a quite good system, producing welfare, growth, and advance. Of course not perfect, but good enough. But the system is now outdated. We have come to our physical limit of this system. A limit is a mathematical concept, but applicable in every aspect of life.

For long we believed our system to be good, to provide us unlimited growth. But we have come to a big problem: we have become addicted to money, and thus the system has experienced an exponential growth, accelerating the process till its limit.

This addiction to money is what will truly lead us till the end of this system. This addiction to money has, in my eyes, done almost more harm than it has actually done well. Because, like my family commented with an example about cars: before, (beginning 20^th centaury) the car producers had as main objective making cars in such way as to please their customers. They gave more importance to making a good product. But then came the ideology of the stock market and globalization. And little by little the wishes of the shareholders became more important than the wishes of the customers. And what was the wish of the shareholders? Money, and more money, and more more more!  And the only way for the companies to fulfill this wish (which actually became more and more a demand) was to produce more, to make as much profit as possible in as little time as possible. With as consequence exploiting people and resources, and ceasing to make truly good objects. This example is not only for the car producing industry, but for all producing industries.

With this, individual companies ceased to be individual, as that wasn’t profitable, and went up into the globalized market. Gone is the true creativity, the true wish to fulfill the customer’s wishes.  And although globalization is of great use, and many profit from it, it isn’t always the right thing to do. More and more around me I hear people say, upset, about so many companies being fused together, about schools being brought together. This has as consequence the loss of identity. An identity many people liked and were proud of, but which now is lost.

I must include here, in the context of individualization and globalization, an advertisement my brother commented to me. The famous advertisement of the Volkswagen Beatle “think small”

This is a very complicated theme, dear reader, so forgive me if in this blog I present many different thoughts, and do not always seem maximally coherent. I’m trying my best. It is difficult because this, what I call system, is a system that contains all of human, and also the natural, world. It is a system so complex; it is like a knot made out of trillions of threads, and talk just about one will undoubtly lead you straight away to tens of other threads. It is a system so complex, a human mind can’t even understand all of its complexity, can’t see all the infinite links and relations. For that we now need computers. The system has become so vast, that it has gone above and beyond the human mind.

Since 2008 we know for sure that this system is failing. It is then when the economic crisis started. Although it isn’t only an economic one, but also a political, social and environmental one. It is a crisis of the human being. At the beginning of the crisis the world leaders said; we’re bringing together the greatest minds of our age, to think up a new plan. But now, 3 years later, still seemingly no one has come with a new alternative to our actual system. This is because of what I’ve just said: to change this system, it is extremely complex. Not impossible, but very near to it. What of course makes it so much harder to change is all the people who are at this moment profiting from this actual system. They don’t want to change, and unfortunately they are often those who have most power in the world. Of course I understand that people want to profit, but it seems to me that now we have to put our money addiction beside and understand that this system just can’t go on any more. It has reached its limit, it is outdated, and not profitable anymore for all.

The conclusion to which I and my family, and also others with whom I have commented this, have come is that this system has come to its end. There is a need of change. A change that will come, must come, because going on like this is simply not possible. Going on like this leads to a dead end. 

So there is the next dilemma. Because: How do we start with this change?

I’ll explain the different options with a metaphor: our actual system is a building, containing EVERYTHING. Our building was built long ago, based on the world of then, but with the passing of decades the world has gone through a great change, the building has had to be repaired and rearranged many times to keep up with the world. But now the building is old, it is presenting deep ruptures, into its very foundations. These ruptures we have seen in the real world! It is the economic crisis since 2008, the latest crisis in Europe...  so… we can’t go living on in this old, dangerous building. It’s not safe, and it’s just not possible anymore. So here are the options we have:

•            While we are still “living” in the old building, start building a new one, a better one, concentrated on sustainability, with a vision to the future and long lastingness. Totally independent of the old building, with totally new materials. And once it has completed go live in the new building.
•            Break down the actual, old building, and in an epoch of confusion and disorientation, try to build the new building.
•            Just wait, don’t do anything, and at some moment undoubtly the old building will collapse. And in its downfall, it will take many people with it. Only then we will start building a new building, obliged by the circumstances.

Now let me comment the consequences I believe these possibilities have:

•            The 1^st option seems to me the best and safest option, with its vision fixed on what must truly change and be done. This option will give us enough time to build our new building and avoid chaos, confusion, and disorientation of what we truly seek.
•            The 2^nd option I dislike, because it would mean the new building must be built quickly (as of course no one wants to be without a building), so it won’t be so well focused on what must really happen as in the 1^st option. Or maybe even first there would have to be built a provisional building, with the danger that in our laziness we keep that one
•            The 3^rd is dangerous. A worst case scenario in my eyes. And it is exactly what we are heading towards. This is the worst option, but in our actual state of mind, maybe only an obligation can be the driving force for us to start building a new building. Even though it has the same dangers as the 2^nd option; that the building will be built rapidly or provisionally

So, dear reader, what do you think of it? What is your opinion? Before I end this text, I would like to end it rightly, with a last few lines, to make you see and understand the message of this text.

I think it is time for change. Whether we are ready for it or not, the time is soon to come. In order to make this change optimal, to ensure maximum profits and minimum damage, we must act NOW! We must reunite all countries, for this is a matter that, directly and indirectly, concerns the entire world. We must reunite politicians, economists, environmentalists, philosophers, sociologists etc... All the wise ones of the world and all the knowledge of the world. We must think up a plan NOW because the signs this crisis is emitting shows us that not much time is left with this actual system. We must act now, for our own good and that of all those who come after us. I ask people, to become conscious, and to act. The time of endless debating has ended, the time to do something has begun.

I am just one small individual. I cannot give all the answers to all the surging questions about this subject. I cannot give alternatives right now to the actual system. All I can do is give a voice to what I see that is happening and to the people, and make everyone I can, conscious.

The passing of time / El paso del tiempo

Time passes so fast. Before you know another week, month, year has passed. Ok, I “only” am 19 years old, and some who are older than me might say I ought not say such a thing yet, but I am old enough to notice the pass of time, old enough to be conscious of the days slipping through my hands like sand, bringing change, modifying life. Never the same, always in metamorphosis.

I do not regret the pass of time. It is something beautiful. It is something extraordinary, though it is not normally seen as such, but more rather as a regret, a sorrow, or simply as the most normal thing there is.  Well, like I have just said; I find it beautiful the pass of time. Why? Because… because with every day you live you accumulate more experiences, more knowledge, you live more good and bad moments, you learn, you see.

I wouldn’t recommend you to regret the pass of time. I know people tend to regret it because of missed opportunities, missed chances, or because of a deep missing of past good moments. Well, as for the opportunities and chances; you made your choices long ago, when you thought them to be right, don’t grief about them now, you have taken this path, and that’s it. Just be happy about your life and also, if needed, forgive yourself for the choices you made which you now regret. It might be important.  

“Today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday”

El tiempo pasa tan rápido. Antes de que te des cuenta ha pasado otra semana, mes, año.  Vale, sé que "sólo" tengo 19 años, y algunos que son mayores que yo podrían decirme que no debería decir algo así todavía, pero yo soy lo suficiente mayor ahora para notar el paso del tiempo, tengo la edad suficiente para ser consciente de los días deslizándose a través de mis manos como la arena, trayendo con ello el cambio, modificando de la vida. Nunca es la misma, siempre en metamorfosis.

No me arrepiento del paso del tiempo. Es algo hermoso. Es algo extraordinario, aunque no se ve normalmente como tal, sino más bien como un lamento, una tristeza, o simplemente como la cosa más normal que hay. Bueno, como ya he dicho, me parece hermoso el paso del tiempo. ¿Por qué? Porque... porque con cada día que vives acumulas más experiencias, más conocimientos, más momentos buenos y malos vividos, aprendes, ves…

Yo no te recomendaría sentirte triste por el paso del tiempo. Sé que la gente tiende a lamentarlo por la pérdida de oportunidades y posibilidades, o debido a echar de menos mucho el pasado con sus buenos momentos. Pero, en cuanto a las oportunidades y posibilidades perdidas: tus decisiones los tomaste hace mucho tiempo, cuando pensabas que aquello era lo correcto, no lamentas tus decisiones ahora, que has tomado este camino, y ya está. Simplemente se feliz con tu vida y también, si es necesario, perdónate a ti mismo de las elecciones que hiciste que ahora lamentas. Podría ser importante.

"Hoy es el mañana sobre la cual ayer estabas preocupado"