My good friend V. said no, "I did not suggest you to read Animal Farm for vindi... What? But because I wanted you to realize that, the truth is, you are indeed an extreme leftist". She is so cute! When I get myself entangled in arguments with other people, and they get a little scandalized for my words, when V. is around, I sometimes heard her saying: "Don't worry, he's different, he is different from what he sounds".
Some other people have claimed the same in the old times. Years ago, the dear brothers O., warm and humane, creative and genuine, holders of a talkative heart as every good Spaniard since much before Don Quixote owns, out of one of their crazy games, a test of personality, stated to me: "Though seemingly conservative, you can be as liberal as Riego". They meant Rafael Riego. Conspiracy against the king, however, or against the Monarchy so to generally speak, is not necessarily a progressive move. It could be quite reactionary. In Spain, for example, in the feudal times, being Royalist and occupying tierras de realengo was a progressive and brave political trait, certainly preferred by many just because they normally were offered more freedom and autonomy that those in feudal lands and had to pay less taxes.
I mostly value independence. When I was a kid, I was taught to be myself, to have personality, as we were said, and to avoid being dragged and alienated by the pressure of the group or its charismatic leader. That was how good boys were supposed to be. My political interests did not come until much later, precisely in the eve of the so-called War on Iraq of 2003. My mentor in the initiation was A. I started to read and listen to comments and journalistic columns that provided a vision totally new for me. It was an awesome revelation. Most important, it seemed to me that those so writing or speaking were easy to understand, and that their words were clear and inviting: off the quicksands of dull and aseptic voices, and out of the confusion of what-it-is-said -I was no more political animal hitherto than the horses and hens of Animal Farm listening to the shady lies and leonine appeasements of Squealer-, there it came the distinct opinion of snipers, articulated in plain words, rather than the bombastic terms I was used to hear. Such snipers always directed the light of their lanterns to the side of the issue kept in the dark, covered with dust, and did so convincingly and, apparently, sincerely. That was the voice of Liberals, the heirs of the Austrian school of Hayek and Mises. In a country like Spain, without any real Liberal tradition whatsoever (being a few fundamental episodes despised or directly silenced), the discovery was like an earthquake to me. As any other natural catastrophe, it came to me and I had nothing to do with it.
So in this side I have stayed since then. Politically, I am very much convinced that liberal doctrines work much better than any interventionism or self-imposed social obligations. Along with my longing for independence it came a somewhat pompous stand for individual freedom. If you leaf through the pages of this blog, you might find plenty of examples of both.
There is a third element, less sung, but most important: the moral fabric in which I have been educated. You can also sniff the scent of this element all through the blog. The more I think about it, the more I get convinced of its capital importance. I can't stand falsehood and lies, egotism and self-centered actions and I don't take the usual rubbish around us daily. I never had any money so I am not in danger of becoming a dandy or a senorito, and the very same ethical fabric I was dressed into will prevent me from the outrageous cries of the self-pitiful left, up to morally save the planet, but always with a keen eye on to their (massive) current accounts.
The flawed part in the thinking of V. is to believe that one's political stand determines his disposition to care for others. In my opinion, no political system and no high or super-high education will make humans an inch better. At least, no directly. Quite the opposite, the illusion of seeing education and politics as the keys to definitely unlock the box of human happiness is the old, distorted dream of the Alchemist from which, of course, the evil profits. That power is, however, in the old book of Life, the Oracle to which the hero comes for advise, if you wish, and it is stored in the struggles of those who, mysteriously, incomprehensibly, base their lives in showing and disseminating little pieces of glittering goodness, in any form, either in friendship, professional or personal relationships or out of familiar duties. I am no more than one who was shown and now wants to show; I was given and now I am ready to give. Doubtless in my mind is that the eradication of this tacit cycle will bring this or any other civilization to an end. And there is no other knowledge or action in the world that can prevent it. One has only to remind the advocates of the global annihilation that not only the dinosaurs once reigned over the Earth, but also the Romans.
(PLEASE, LEAVE YOUR COMMENT).
Some other people have claimed the same in the old times. Years ago, the dear brothers O., warm and humane, creative and genuine, holders of a talkative heart as every good Spaniard since much before Don Quixote owns, out of one of their crazy games, a test of personality, stated to me: "Though seemingly conservative, you can be as liberal as Riego". They meant Rafael Riego. Conspiracy against the king, however, or against the Monarchy so to generally speak, is not necessarily a progressive move. It could be quite reactionary. In Spain, for example, in the feudal times, being Royalist and occupying tierras de realengo was a progressive and brave political trait, certainly preferred by many just because they normally were offered more freedom and autonomy that those in feudal lands and had to pay less taxes.
I mostly value independence. When I was a kid, I was taught to be myself, to have personality, as we were said, and to avoid being dragged and alienated by the pressure of the group or its charismatic leader. That was how good boys were supposed to be. My political interests did not come until much later, precisely in the eve of the so-called War on Iraq of 2003. My mentor in the initiation was A. I started to read and listen to comments and journalistic columns that provided a vision totally new for me. It was an awesome revelation. Most important, it seemed to me that those so writing or speaking were easy to understand, and that their words were clear and inviting: off the quicksands of dull and aseptic voices, and out of the confusion of what-it-is-said -I was no more political animal hitherto than the horses and hens of Animal Farm listening to the shady lies and leonine appeasements of Squealer-, there it came the distinct opinion of snipers, articulated in plain words, rather than the bombastic terms I was used to hear. Such snipers always directed the light of their lanterns to the side of the issue kept in the dark, covered with dust, and did so convincingly and, apparently, sincerely. That was the voice of Liberals, the heirs of the Austrian school of Hayek and Mises. In a country like Spain, without any real Liberal tradition whatsoever (being a few fundamental episodes despised or directly silenced), the discovery was like an earthquake to me. As any other natural catastrophe, it came to me and I had nothing to do with it.
So in this side I have stayed since then. Politically, I am very much convinced that liberal doctrines work much better than any interventionism or self-imposed social obligations. Along with my longing for independence it came a somewhat pompous stand for individual freedom. If you leaf through the pages of this blog, you might find plenty of examples of both.
There is a third element, less sung, but most important: the moral fabric in which I have been educated. You can also sniff the scent of this element all through the blog. The more I think about it, the more I get convinced of its capital importance. I can't stand falsehood and lies, egotism and self-centered actions and I don't take the usual rubbish around us daily. I never had any money so I am not in danger of becoming a dandy or a senorito, and the very same ethical fabric I was dressed into will prevent me from the outrageous cries of the self-pitiful left, up to morally save the planet, but always with a keen eye on to their (massive) current accounts.
The flawed part in the thinking of V. is to believe that one's political stand determines his disposition to care for others. In my opinion, no political system and no high or super-high education will make humans an inch better. At least, no directly. Quite the opposite, the illusion of seeing education and politics as the keys to definitely unlock the box of human happiness is the old, distorted dream of the Alchemist from which, of course, the evil profits. That power is, however, in the old book of Life, the Oracle to which the hero comes for advise, if you wish, and it is stored in the struggles of those who, mysteriously, incomprehensibly, base their lives in showing and disseminating little pieces of glittering goodness, in any form, either in friendship, professional or personal relationships or out of familiar duties. I am no more than one who was shown and now wants to show; I was given and now I am ready to give. Doubtless in my mind is that the eradication of this tacit cycle will bring this or any other civilization to an end. And there is no other knowledge or action in the world that can prevent it. One has only to remind the advocates of the global annihilation that not only the dinosaurs once reigned over the Earth, but also the Romans.
(PLEASE, LEAVE YOUR COMMENT).
No comments:
Post a Comment