Ever since I first read it, I’ve been interested in that Latin phrase that translated into Spanish means “there are dragons here.” This term, mainly used in the Middle Ages, was inserted by explorers as a warning sign in maps and cartographies to indicate unexplored territories, foreign to man, mysterious places, in some cases cursed, inhabited by sea creatures and winged reptiles. In short, places that no one should visit.

For many adventurers, the mere mention of this phrase caused fear and uneasiness that could only be alleviated by canceling the expedition. But it is also said that for the bravest and bravest travelers, the expression represented an encouraging message, in the sense that new worlds full of possibilities, lost treasures, new lands, etc. were opening up to them.

After many years, this phrase came to my mind on the occasion of the second round of elections that will take place in October, in which the Koreism candidate Luisa González and the young candidate Daniel Noboa are competing. And the winner of the election contest must take over the helm of the country, which is in an unprecedented situation in our republic’s history. Many will tell me that I am wrong, that I am exaggerating, that Ecuador has practically been living with an economic crisis for decades, and the bad management of public finances, although it represents a serious problem for the development of the country, is not comparable to other more serious events that we have faced in the past, such as the war with Peru or the El Niño phenomenon.

Although I partially agree with the previous reading, in the sense that as a country we have constantly faced adversity, I believe that for the first time we have before us a violent and implacable enemy, like the drug trade, endowed with immeasurable resources .. economical and capable of the most horrible and ruthless things possible action, which in recent months has managed to influence even the judicial authorities by various means, with the sole aim of obtaining the resource that every criminal structure desires the most: impunity.

A few days ago I wondered if the process of social degradation, at first slow, perhaps imperceptible, today evident and easily verifiable in painful events such as murders, kidnappings and extortions, is nothing more than a kind of insinuation, perhaps a voice in my head, which repeats to me that there is no going back , that Ecuador, once an island of peace, today a territory of war, will hardly be like before and that this is our new reality, no matter how harsh it sounds.

With the above, I do not intend to create a pessimistic atmosphere for the next president, but to warn him that the warning signs are overflowing, that we are in turbulent times, which must be overcome with great ingenuity, but also determination and firmness., and at this moment there are too many excuses, no one does not listen, they are lost in oblivion. Hic Sunt Dracones. They are present here. (OR)