I had the opportunity to see an interview conducted by Alondra Santiago (from ingobernables.ec) with Luis Eduardo Vivanco, on his show Primera cita. An extensive interview, one of those that, due to the multiple occupations of everyday life, there is rarely time to see in its entirety.

To begin with, I congratulate the presenter and the interlocutor because more than two hours of the program flew by with the naturalness and informality of the exchange and the good vibes of both.

International Democracy Day: Only 37% of Ecuadorians support this system of government

However, I must admit that I thought a lot before writing this column because as the years pass, ideas agree, passions calm down, and “irresponsible” urges become rarer. Reason, long-termism, maturity do their part and tame the storm of justice that is coursing through the veins of all of us who defend that increasingly utopian form of coexistence called democracy.

But, after all, it was the aforementioned interview that prompted me to do so.

Land of (non)meetings

In this regard, it is necessary to warn that it is not my intention to support or condemn the research work of La Poste, fundamentally because it is not my responsibility, since it is the citizens who decide to read their news, follow their programs and networks or not to do so; and with this, confirm them or not.

To begin with, I congratulate the host and interviewer because more than two hours of the program flew by…

Exactly, this is one of the fundamental rights we have in democracy: to be able to decide who to trust and who not; With whom to notify me, and with whom not. A right that those who live in totalitarian regimes like Cuba or North Korea (to name just a few examples) do not have, where there is only an official version of what is happening in the country and the world; a version designed and expanded by a supreme power to maintain control over the hearts and minds of subjugated people.

Uncertainty

As for politicians, governments and all those who expose themselves publicly, time is the inexorable judge that places everyone in their rightful place in history.

With that in mind, I wonder:

At what point did we become a society of silence, in which we are afraid to say what we think for fear of being stigmatized as allies or coup plotters?

Because of the fear that the “coward” will return?

In the land of black or white, green or blue, “good people” or “narcocoreistas”?

At what point do we decide that everything is tolerable, as long as one or the other does not rule?

What investigation is the coup?

Is stealing wrong, unless the thief is one of my people?

That there is no gray or blue or purple or red or yellow; only white or black? Are you with me or against me?

And while our elites (and those who want to be part of them) pretend to be heroes in WhatsApp chats, and the owners of the capital’s intellectuals declare themselves the generals of Twitter decency, the country is bleeding and its vital signs are disappearing every day.

What’s wrong with you, Ecuador?

What have you become?

Hopefully future generations will take it up. (OR)