Dissidents

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Secularly, dominated by the absolute power of men, we have been subjects, mere spectators and passive recipients of the events transpiring around us.

Now –and I never tire of repeating this, because it is findly possible- the time has come for the great transition to full, educated citizens who, as set forth in Article 1 of the UNESCO Constitution, must be “free and responsible". Educated people are those who “manage their own lives”, in Francisco Giner de los Ríos’ excellent definition, acting upon their own thoughts and not on the dictates of others or anything else.

Educated people are those who refuse to live in fear, rejecting behavioral guidelines imposed by ideologies and creeds, seeking their own answers to essential questions without turning to others for borrowed and frequently imposed answers.

For the forthcoming historical transition –from force to words, from a culture of domination, imposition and war to a culture of dialogue, conciliation and peace- we will need citizens, not subjects.

Dissidents. Always peaceful, but indomitable.

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