Diez años después: ante el nuevo milenio

After ten years, Savater decides to delight us with one more chapter, as if it had been necessary to add anything to his marvellous book!!
Taking into account the times we live in, he says that the key to enjoy a good life is to care about others. We must realize that we're social beings: we need to look after ourselves and, at the same time, take care of others since we belong to the same species. We need to leave aside stereotypes and recognize each other as what we are: humans.
Apart from this, he points out that we need to take care of our "house", our planet. I find this really important, inasmuch as many times governments think about making money at the expense of our environment. There are clear examples in our country such as the paper mills in Gualeguaychú, forests in the south or the jungle in Chaco and Salta... I wonder if they've ever stopped to think that they won't have enough time to spend all the money they've got by selling our country... our planet will be dead before that can happen

Epílogo "Tendrás que pensártelo"

What an enriching experience this has been! I've reflected a lot on many things... and learned a lot! First of all, I'm in charge of my life: nobody can't decide for me, I have this responsibility (luckily :-)!) As Bob Marley says in a famous song
Emancipate yourself from mental slavery
none but ourselves can free our minds
So whether we like it or not, we're in charge of making decisions... Sometimes we're right and soetimes we're wrong, it's within us to take a few minutes and reflect about what we do so as to learn from those mistakes we make...
I leave this link for everybody as a gift, hope you enjoy yourselves!! http://www.alanis.com/

Feeling alive is great: sometimes it's not the best moment, but once we get over, it's worth it!!

Long and wonderful life for all of you!!!

Elecciones Generales

Politics and Ethics...(sigh) what a difficult topic! How to consider this in the society we live in, where a political campaign is based on discrediting one another, where politicians make promises they never fullfil? Is there room for Ethics? In my opinion, Ethics is the answer...
Saveter wonders what's the best political organization in order to achieve a good life and proposes different aspects to take into account: freedom and the responsibility that being free entails; being fair, which encompases recognising everybody's dignity and, therefore, recognising each other as unique; and the ability to empathise and help those who are needed but in a way that still considers them free and worthy.
What about our country? What about the people we vote for? Have we ever thought about these aspects when deciding on who to vote? Are we free to choose and use this freedom in a resposible way? (once more, I sigh...)
A good political organization should consider the abovementioned aspects... should strive for real equality and toleration. I once read a comic strip from an American newspaper that read "Patriotism means no questions..." how wrong this is! It's high time we questioned every single thing we do!!!

Tanto Gusto

Having a good life (or trying to live one!) implies satisfying our bodies. When the majority of people talk about inmoral behaviour they refer, most of the times, to sex. What is hidden behind this prejudice is the fear that most of us, as society, have regarding pleasure: we live in a society that is so focused on working so as to get whatever the market has to sell that we forget about having pleasure (and trying to find pleasure!) in what we do. Hedonism is a four-letter-word!! When we do something "because we like it," "for the sake of it" society looks down on us... well, not all of the society, but mostly puritans, people who believe that it is through suffering that we are going to have a good life.
Living a good life entails, then, finding pleasure in all the things we do. Enjoying what we do everyday. Not using pleasure as a way of avoiding life, of running away whenever we can't face the consequences of what we do... Pleasure is supposed to enrich our lives, to make it spicy, to make us happy... So, next time you feel guilty because you're having the time of your life and, on the other hand, you should be seeing to your never-ending list of "things I have to do today," relax and ENJOY!

Ponte en su lugar

What makes us humans is, undoubtedly, living, sharing, listening to other humans. And our humanity is not perfect. Far from it!!! When we label people, we tend to forget that, still, they are people, no matter what they've done. I know that this is particularly difficult when we think of thieves, murderers, rapists and the like... they don't seem human since they don't treat their victims as humans...
Have we ever stopped to think that the reason why these people don't care about others is probably that nobody cares or has cared about them? I'm not just talking about their own families: most of the times, if a child is brought up in neglection, violence and hate, he/she is prone to bring up their own children in a similar way! I'm also thinking about the prejudices we have... There is a song by Bersuit Vergarabat called "La Ribera": if you're familiar with it, it tells us the story of people who live next to Riachuelo (a much polluted river in Argentina), what is like to live there and how they've been isolated from society. There are two verses that are quite touching (at least for me!)
Parece ser que envenenarlos no es violencia (referring to people governing our country, who
neglect them and let them die!)
y es violencia su desesperación (referring to most of the people who live there and who, as a
result of this neglection, have no choice but to steal so as to live!)
We are truly human when we can put ourselves in somebody else's shoes... more technically speaking, when we can emphatise, when we can see things (and understand them!!) from somebody else's perspective... when we can be objective in our judgements...

Aparece Pepito Grillo

Choices, choices and more choices!! And, once more, the fact that if we want to live a good life we're in charge of making choices. No one can do this for us...
Being concientious and responsible seems to be key. This depends both on inborn characteristics as well as on the social context in which we're born. Do you remember when I said in my last post that if we're not treated as humans we won't consider others humans, just things?
Reflect. Always give ourselves time to reflect upon what we do and take responsiblity for the decisions we make. We need to try to get what is best for us. A good life! This doesn't mean that in order to get what we want we should do whatever it takes "The end doesn't justify the means," says Kant. Selfishness can have a positive connotation as well: devoting time to ourselves and striving for what we want, always being responsible for what we decide to do, always being free...
And freedom, at times, implies feeling guilty when we do something that does not match what we really want to obtain...What to do , then?? Take responsibility for what we do incorrectly and correctly, however disgusting it is what we have done!! Face the consequences... that's when we are truly free. What a great responsibility we have as teachers...searching for a good life and inviting others to do the same... defining ourselves with every decision we make... setting the example?

Despierta Baby!

What's a good life? Does it have anything to do with getting our own way at all times? Is it in keeping with owning more and more things?Is it possible to agree on only one idea of what "a good life" entails? Or is this concept going to change from individual to individual? Complex questions for a complex concept...
Material possessions have a saying in this. We own things and yet, at the same time, they own us... if not look around you, and you'll see what materialism does to people. Wars, corruption, opportunism... and a never-ending list of negative concepts. Money is necessary, but greed is no good.You can buy lots of things with money: the house of your dreams, a great car and so and so on. What you cannot buy is love, real love. Friendship. Sympathy. A shoulder to cry on when you're feeling blue. A warm hug. Respect. Treat people like things, and you'll get things in return. What a difference it makes when you treat people for what they are: human beings!
A good life is not about money, I guess... Most probably has nothing to do with what the majority of people believe... A good life is a personal choice. Once more it has to do with reflecting. With understanding what is convenient for us and what is not. It's important to listen to each other: in my last post I stated that it is when we listen to one another that we recognize ourselves and the others as humans. Nevertheless, when it's time to make up our minds, nobody can (or should!) decide for us. We are free. We decide.