We were right at the entrance of the Victoria Theatre in Barcelona to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the program PolandWhen someone told me something like this: "With the exception of the United Kingdom, in all the rest of Europe there is no political satire program that has lasted as long as the PolandThe phrase struck me, not because of the undeniable merits of those who have been producing the program for two decades, but because it described the unique character of a Catalan temperament that is capable of laughing at itself, an unmistakable sign of democratic health. It echoed those other words of the master Pau Casals, when in his distant speech at the United Nations he spoke emotionally about Catalonia, and among other things explained that our country had the first Parliament in the world, "even before England's." We were certainly at a celebration, but look at that, that impromptu statement at the beginning of the reflection I want to share through this article.
The identity of a people is like a great delta, formed by the influx and accumulation of sediments of all kinds from various tributaries, which provide it with many nutrients. However, the fact that the delta is well-formed does not mean that it is unalterable; Pau Casals: Now, our delta wouldn't be what it is without the existence of many tributaries, small or large, that feed the central channel. Talent, creativity, the will to project ourselves into the world, and the mix of people from diverse origins are essential tributaries if we want to understand and appreciate the complexity, as well as the uniqueness, of the delta we have formed over centuries.
Like any delta, ours suffers erosion and undergoes transformation. The latter is normal, because nothing can remain immutable over time. However, we must be very attentive and vigilant regarding the elements that can erode, and therefore wound or damage, our delta, our identity. Among these elements, there are external ones that we cannot control, but neither should we ignore them: the globalizing force of very powerful identities, which occupy an ever-increasing space in our lives; the enormous power of certain corporations, whose actions change our lives, and not always for the better; the emergence and popularity of certain ideological currents, across the spectrum, which directly threaten the system of rights and freedoms that certain societies like ours possess.
Alongside these external elements, there are others that are more inherent, more internal in nature, and which can also erode our collective identity. Uncontrolled immigration, like that of many European countries, represents a risk; But poorly integrated immigration, or even worse, badly integrated immigration, poses a far greater risk. In this sense, the course we should take seems clear: we must better control the flow of new arrivals, but we must also make every effort to properly integrate those who are already part of the country.
Another key factor to consider is the defense of our value system. A system that has taken generations to build and whose pillars are democracy, rights, duties, and freedoms. We cannot understand this system as a lifelong right, guaranteed to us no matter what we do. In my opinion, we must understand it as an achievement that requires daily and sustained effort to continue enjoying it in the future. In other words, we cannot compromise on what represents the core of this value system, and we must make its defense a shared national commitment. If we do not, our identity, which is our way of being and acting, and our contribution to the world, will first be diluted and then condemned.
And that ties in with the 20th anniversary gala of PolandA people who are able to laugh at themselves are a people with a healthier democracy and, therefore, a freer people.
