By José Gandue @Gandour Photo by Simona Malaika @simonamalaika
In some well-known adult education forums, they conduct an exercise that almost always has a devastating result. The exercise consists of administering certain tests, The student is invited to choose their position in a dispute And then, in the middle of the discussion, he is forced to decide. between being right about it, regardless of the cost of their determination, and be happy, accepting any outcome of the dispute. In a very high percentage of cases, the subjects subjected to this test vehemently decide to be right., regardless of how much shame their stance may bring them. I recall this examination, in light of the results of the surveys that were published a few months before the plebiscite on the approval or rejection of the agreements. end of conflict between the Colombian government and the FARC guerrillas, after years of negotiations in Havana.
Few outsiders to Colombian reality understand how a country where there has not been a single day of peace in the last seven decades He may prefer, rather than find relief in the midst of hardship, to continue waging war against an internal enemy who has offered lay down arms and integrate into democratic political life. It doesn't matter if the conflict statistics acknowledge almost nine million victims, including more than six million forcibly displaced persons, more than three hundred thousand refugees outside our borders, and 158,000 missing persons., and almost a million dead. No matter the humanitarian disaster that this conflict has meant over all these years, where the only ones who have benefited have been the leading figures of the disputing parties and the traditional warlords. It doesn't matter if we see that resentment, cynicism, and ignorance have fueled many Colombians all these years, and we have become, over time, one of the most violent countries in the world: Some (unfortunately many) want to continue as before, because they always want to be right., his filthy and damned reason, demanding the surrender and resignation of the adversary, and we already know the price of that decision.
Nobody believes a Disney-designed world is coming if peace treaties are widely accepted. The road ahead is long, and that's the first step that must be taken. There will be days of disappointment and discontent. But we need it once and for all the opportunity to rebuild relations between the inhabitants of this country, To rebuild their lives, their spirits, to know how to forgive and be forgiven, and to move forward, to take a breath and move forward. We need to understand what Nelson Mandela once said: “If you want to make peace with your enemy, you have to work with him. Then he becomes your partner.”. There is no other way, there isn't. Many of the victims, those who truly lost their homes, their families, their dignity, have understood this. It is time for the rest of the inhabitants, many of whom They've only seen blood on television, They must learn to accept it and thus rid themselves of the poison that surrounds them. They must overcome their fear of this possibility.
I want to believe that what the polls show It reflects a discontent against an unpopular government and that the surveyed population still hasn't grasped what's at stake. Some have preferred to believe the fallacies of a brilliant manipulator of the masses He is enriched and kept powerful by the terror and resentment of the people. I want to believe that between now and the moment you cast your vote, the desire to end this tragedy will prevail. I want to believe that the dangerous stubbornness that surrounds us will prevail. It will transform into the endeavor to become a country that longs to live with greater peace.
No matter how small it may look Zonagirante.com In front of the most prominent mass media outlets in the region, we need to say this as clearly as possible: This media outlet He strongly supports the end of the conflict between the Colombian national government and the FARC.
Let's vote Yes, for peace.