September was a month of tragedies, deep wounds and good opportunity to show our best and, of course, our worst.
Let’s begin with the nature forces. From the geological point of view, an earthquake it is the release of enormous amounts of energy as a result of the interaction of the underground plates of the earth’s crust. More or less the same could be said about hurricanes. The disaster comes as a result of the human factor: a culture of negligence, extreme poverty and corruption always produce death and suffering. Mexico´s experience could be the best example: the first September 19 (1985) toll was over 12,000 lives, and the second one (2017) main cost was around 350. The same with the over 8 points earthquakes of the recent past in Chile and Haiti. The one in South America took 255 lives and the other in the Caribbean, over 230,000.
Now let´s consider the youth factor. In the U.S. the huge drama the 800,000 Dreamers that have been used as a trade coin by the political elite in Washington. Beginning for the Trump Administration and it´s dumb bet to use them as a negotiation in the table of NAFTA 2.0, but also from the Machiavelli´s move from the Democratic move in Congress whom try to break the Trump political support from the extreme right, announcing a deal with the president about the Dreamers. And from the Mexicana establishment position, there only is more of the empty rhetoric about opening the country´s door for a hypothetical return that there Americans without documents do not want.
The main point here is this: almost everybody in the U.S. recognize that Dreamers should stay in America. And despite this kid’s weak political muscle and leadership tools, they are in the right side of History.
As demonstrated in Mexico´s amazing response to help the victims of the tragedies of September, Millennials expunged in few days their bad reputation among the old generation.
Accused of being selfish, lazy and interested only in watching videos and chatting on their cells, thousands and thousands of university students took to the streets of Mexico City and displayed a huge response of solidarity in the distribution of over 900 tons of food and emergency help, as well as participating in thousands of civic brigades that immediately after the earthquakes began to dig under the fallen buildings for survivors.
South of Trump´s wall, from a human and social viewpoint, September earthquakes could well mark the explosion of a great process of change capable of raising a new Mexico from the rubble of the country in which the corruption endemic of its rulers and the traditional apathy of its citizen, give way to scenes of greater solidarity, justice and social inclusion.
And beyond the awakening of hate doctrines in several countries and the compromise of president Donald with his NASCAR base, in the U.S. the fundamental factors –as the economy needs, public opinion position, and big demographic trends–, all point in the direction of supporting The Dreamers cause, as well as the global solidarity with a model of social responsibility and civic mobilization, which may be our last resource to protect the planet from an ecologic collapse or the victory of the lords of fear and war.
