Today, with regard to the constituent process that is taking place in our country, I am reminded of the phrase of the philosopher and ideologist Antonio Gramsci who wrote that “the old world is dying; the new one takes time to appear, and in those dark clearing monsters emerge”. Monsters that we don’t know, that attract and frighten are roaming around Chile.
Monster refers to what arises against the rule or the natural, also to prodigious or supernatural creatures such as demons or genies. Monsters are envoys of the gods. They arise from the unknown and the incomprehensible to people and that is why with the limitations we have as human beings we are seeing monsters in every corner and around every corner.
Next week marks two years since the social outburst and the massive demonstrations in the main cities of the country that led to the signing of the Agreement for Social Peace and the New Constitution on 15 November 2019. The political world established the broad outlines of an institutional path and never imagined that it would not be in control of the process.
Who would have thought that the Constituent Commission would be parity and with seats reserved for native peoples or that the independents would become a force that would overshadow political party militants or that its president would be a Mapuche woman whose first words would be in Mapudungun and not in Spanish?
The old order is dying and the new one has not yet been born. On this path it is essential to be faithful to the value of democracy. The democratic process we are carrying out has been exemplary, with broad participation in political, ethnic, social and cultural diversity.
The confusion and pain of the unknown is inherent to change. The new order will not be the same as the one we are leaving behind, because the new one will be broader and more inclusive. We men will have a lot to learn and to give up, especially those of us who are from Santiago and part of an inbred oligarchy.
Unfortunately, the education system does not educate us to face change and the uncertainties of the future. We do not develop critical thinking and we eagerly seek to enter a comfort zone. The system rewards the established order and punishes curiosity and innovation. It is therefore not surprising the fear that the constituent process is provoking, even more so when some media and social networks exacerbate fears.
Our new order will be more inclusive because, as the British economist and political scientist, author of the book Why Do Countries Fail, says: “What is relevant here is that millions of people in the world will be able to make a difference. “What is relevant here is that millions of people in Chile have been marginalised by opportunities, and that is changing.
We should not be afraid of the monsters that roam Chile. Let’s invite them to talk, share and dance because only then will we have a better country.
