Bright fabric

Leticia Soberón. 
Doctor in Social Sciences.

Celebrations held to mark the bicentenary of Mexico’s independence and the centenary of the Mexican Revolution have once again revealed historical events, some laden with glory and others terrible cruelty, which led to our existence. We must know our past in order to better define our identity. And it is clear that a whole host of different parties, not just national heroes, fought to defend their concept of justice and freedom, the highest social ideal or to protect their privileges.

We stand face to face with history. What use is it to us now? Do we not find ourselves confronted with challenges of equal or greater measure to those of the past? Strictly speaking it is impossible to change the past. History and its events have already taken place and no one can modify them. Time tunnels pertaining to science fiction novels are yet to be invented, and one of the keys to being healthy is accepting all the events that led to our existence in the understanding that we are a product of many events, some light, some grey and some which are frankly dark, and, had these events been at all different we would not have existed. The first step to being able to act in the present without resentments and therefore improve our lives is to reconcile ourselves with history.

However, paradoxically, there is, to some extent, a way to transform events that remain unchangeable because they belong to the past. How can this be done? By choosing which historical processes we allow to continue. Let us look at how. Almost unintentionally we choose a way of being, living. We adhere to a way of thinking- sometimes without realising we are doing it, choose a style of living within society and a way of creating the present. Thus we breathe new life into actions that took place and would otherwise remain dead and gone. If we reread things that were done by others, we will discover how our own actions belong to a school of life, albeit with ones own particular, original style. Some will surely be more or less creative but in some way all people bring certain processes into the present that would otherwise be committed to museums and archaeology. In this way the fabric of history is woven with all sorts of threads, some colourful, some dark and some very bright.

Let us give some examples. In our everyday lives we can support war, conflict, the battle for power, domination, inequality. If we choose to- although as I already said, many do this as a result of a lack of awareness, or inertia- we can take on and promote social, economic and cultural differences. This serves to keep the unending cycle of violence that is perpetuated by history alive. And yet, this doesn’t happen because it is our destiny, it happens because in each generation a group of accomplices help to carry on this history marked by blood and tears.

Perhaps the majority of people wish to follow a more conventional path, an undisrupted serene working life where the main focus is stability. But in every day life it is impossible to remain neutral: the way in which an individual weaves life, interacts, or fails to interact with neighbours, thinks or doesn’t think, joins in with or ignores the people around them or educates their children will perpetuate social, economic or interpersonal processes that can support development and justice or inertia, indifference and detachment. Without being extraordinary or especially gifted people can also support artistic, creative, leisure or craft activities, thus sustaining them and stopping them from becoming antiquated.  In this we are able to project local history into a peaceful future, a fertile and diverse kind of peace that overflows with celebration and manifests in towns, neighbourhoods, cities or countries.

Furthermore, it is both beautiful and possible to transform the past into the present and the future, hence perpetuating these “bright threads” that traverse human history, these excellent processes that provide support and sense to millions of people. We can benefit from witnessing constructive and fruitful ways of living and we can give our energy to help these prosper. We can take on and modernize the great objectives that were upheld by so many national heroes, but now in the context of non-violence, the quest for peace, the defence of human rights and personal and public dignity; the history of democracy, freedom of expression, the defence of marginalised people and promotion of people’s autonomy and development. All this bring together the efforts of the great men and women of history, who weaved their days and hours with threads made of light.

What distinguishes these threads from other threads configuring  the nation’s future? They are initiated and continued by people who are prepared to die for their cause, but prevent others from dying, people who carry out their job as a sacrifice so that others may live, so that their friends do not have to die. There are so many examples of this!

The bicentenary is an opportunity to keep weaving Mexico’s history with bright threads. Without violence, but with decisiveness and flare. With passionate generosity. It is a way of transforming not just the present, but also the past: it ceases to be archaic, it becomes current and is thrown into the future.