Exasperation at RenfeIt's 2:30 PM on an ordinary day. Mataró station, platform towards Blanes. A huge crowd – especially students, but also workers and tourists – waiting for almost an hour. The intercom is silent, no incidents announced. The seats in full sun are occupied and people are sitting on the ground. Words come to mind like: contempt, indignity, cynicism, abuse of power, lack of respect, impunity, mockery... One thing is the serious problems of aging infrastructure, lack of maintenance, lack of investment, negligence, non-compliance, etc., and another thing is what can be avoided. It seems that Renfe's slogan in Catalonia is: “Mistreat the user to the limit”. This is fulfilled day after day. Consequently, road traffic increases, there is a greater risk of accidents, more global warming, more fuel consumption. All this for what? Is there a logical explanation? And until when?
Mercè ArtigasCaldes d’EstracBetween faith and scienceIn the midst of the 21st century, various studies indicate an increase in religiosity among young people, facing a future that transmits all sorts of uncertainties to them. Already in the 19th century, Nietzsche, in Thus Spoke Zarathustra, announced the “death of God,” a metaphor that symbolized the loss of Christian beliefs in a society where science was beginning to offer new answers. Darwin showed us that life is not a divine creation but an evolutionary process. During the 20th century, Einstein's theory of relativity helped us understand the Universe, and quantum physics revealed the laws governing elementary particles. Carl Sagan expressed it this way: “We are stardust that has become aware of itself.”
However much we may decipher the cosmos and the mysteries of life, we will hardly be able to answer the most crucial question humanity has asked itself: what is the meaning of existence and what lies beyond life? Perhaps the Church stands as spiritual solace for many young people. I only hope that this renewed faith does not come at the expense of science and progress. Because it is precisely this science that makes us so special within this vast Universe.
Roger Deulofeu CànovesBesalúFeeling lonely hurts, doesn't it?When the party or work hours end, and the screen turns off and notifications stop arriving, silence appears. And many of us discover an uncomfortable truth: we can be surrounded by people and, nevertheless, feel alone.
Loneliness, at times, is good. It helps us to think and rest. But when it prolongs, it turns into sadness, discouragement, and emptiness. Then we seek refuges that promise much and give little. The problem is not the lack of contacts. It is the lack of communion. Humans have not been made to accumulate interactions, but to love and be loved. Life only flourishes when we go out of ourselves to share it with others.
We need people to love, not to use; to share, not to dominate; to build, not to destroy. A society full of superficial relationships is a profoundly lonely society. Hopefully, no one will have to resign themselves to feeling alone.
Xavier SerraGironaNeedlesWithout wanting to start a debate (well, a little bit yes), clothes pegs, made of wood or plastic?
Miguel Roig ComamalaBarcelona