Excellence is not a Luxury

Excellence is a necessity, not a luxury, not only for the individual and his community, but even more so for its leaders. In many Latin American countries we are always willing to help the hungry and the sick, but we do not feel the same obligation to support the gifted, who excel in some profession or vocation. If we see good students, bright kids, pianists, mechanics, or soccer players that stand out between childhood and teenage years, we abandon them to their precocious destiny, as though those youngsters endowed with excellence do not need our support! We tell ourselves, they don’t need our help because they were already born gifted.

In contrast, those countries that have stood out because of their high rates of economic and institutional growth behave very differently with respect to their most valuable assets. Brazilians stand out in soccer, because the minute their children stop crawling and learn to kick a ball they begin the selection and training process to see who will be the next Pelé. The Chinese, North Americans, and Singaporeans identify their geniuses at an early age and nurture and help them like the national treasures that they are. But so many in Latin America distrust excellence as though it was a bad habit of banal and decadent elites. What confusion! And what a waste.

Excellence does not respect social classes (thank God). Excellence appears like a genetic miracle among all social classes and enterprises, but if we don’t support it, it gets distracted and lost. Our intellectual, political and industrial leaders leave so much to be desired, because we don’t even pay attention to whether their conduct and goals fit into the concept of excellence or if they are merely mediocre salesmen peddling false promises. Excellence is not a luxury; it is one of the least satisfied necessities in the Latin American continent. Access to excellence should be a universal right for all of those that search for it. Recognizing excellence is quite easy. Excellence is noticeable in a child that respects sensible instructions, wants to do good things, in parents that make sure they improve their children’s education, in bosses who nurture the professional and personal development of their employees, and in politicians that do not make wild promises or lie with brazen cynicism, like a frivolous guffaw in an expensive restaurant. You can see it in the respect with which we treat our family members and our fellow countrymen. You can see it in the time we take to learn and do our jobs well instead of trying to see what dirty little business we can concoct with the politician in office. Excellence can be observed in how balanced our actions and ambitions are. Excellence is restrained and it does not brag about its greatness, because it is always demanding and leaves us short and humbled.

Recognizing and supporting excellence does not require great resources. It requires a will and appreciation for the extraordinary contribution that excellence makes towards our social and economic evolution. Prizes for excellence are one way of imparting the message of its importance and motivate us to follow its purpose both individually and collectively. Excellence is rewarded in triumphant societies with good grades, admiration for good deeds, public recognition, respect and appropriate compensation for responsible work, and free and conscientious votes during electoral processes. Mediocrity is reprehensible and corrosive because it destroys the individual and the collective that condones and rewards it. Respect towards excellence should be one of the most important human rights and should even be guaranteed in our constitution. Mediocrity, at a minimum, should be punished with votes against our leaders each time we can elect those that govern us. Societies that elect corrupt and mediocre regimes are just as mediocre and corrupt as their leaders. It is hard to escape the grasp of mediocrity once it exercises its stronghold on our surroundings, but it is possible. The search for excellence is the gate to freedom and sustainable growth.

When the river sounds…

Rivers and democracies are very much alike. An old Latin American saying goes that “when the river sounds, it carries stones.” I don’t know if that proverbis still in use, but I remember my father, with his threatening and suspenseful tone, saying: “when the river sounds!...” and the threat of the final judgment in his voice. Without even finishing the sentence, those four words put an end to the discussion and whoever embodied the river was annihilated for life, with their reputation in shambles and an uncertain social life. What injustice!. When the river sounds it is because it carries water in addition to stones; it is flowing forcefully and setting new courses for its bed, making and correcting mistakes as all rivers do and opening new paths, leaving behind stones at its banks for future bathers. Totalitarian systems appear to be silent, calm rivers. Sometimes such systems invite one to embark on such peaceful course if only for a short trip, especially if someone offers a free boat or a luxurious yacht. Democracies on the other hand, are strong, unruly, noisy and large rivers that carry rocks and many other surprises, and make so much racket that one feels compelled to jump ship before the boat sinks. Sometimes the seasickness is so strong that many do jump ship disenchanted with the ravages and uncertainties. Democracies are daring and determined rivers, with stones in all sizes and even piranhas, but also beautiful trout and salmon. On the banks of this powerful river you can find monkeys and serpents as well as Tarzan and his concubines.

The jungles by these free rivers grow shaggy like hairs on adolescent legs, ashamed of their Amazonic abundance, but fed to gluttony by the largesse of their waters. Those rivers are scary, but we shouldn’t fear them. There is a lot of life in them and you can find strong and healthy plants and animals by their shores. They are rivers like the Orinoco or the Amazon, with big and beautiful deltas all over the place, and open to any ship, small and large. The sediment is so rich that in time it becomes oil, if the gods so bless the river. But it is the great ships that we build to navigate these rivers that give us just pride and develop industries: tourism, shipyards, hotels, bikini factories, fishmongers and ports.

The Guaire, on the other hand, that forgotten anorexic river that traverses with lame sadness the length of Caracas, is a quite river because it has no water anymore. I have been told that in a more innocent past for Caracas, boats and canoes crossed it and gathered speed near El Paraiso until they reached La Vega. Children and “quinceañeros” dreamt of their fates as captains inspired by far lands and riches. During Carnival feasts, flower carts with long straws would slurp and spread the Guaire’s holy water amongst those celebrating ghosts of rituals past. What fun to have a loud Guaire, even if it had stones and caused other problems for drunks lost in the night and trapped in its current. If I was queen of Venezuela, my first decree would be to make all the rivers audible with water and stones, and I would begin with the Guaire. Then we would have free elections to elect the next queen and we would celebrate with a boat parade from Petare to La Vega!

Disalmed Forces in the Americas

I am not Chinese or Puerto Rican, nor do I make too many spelling mistakes. That is in case you think the L in the title is really an R. But the mere thought of disarmament reminds me that more than 50 years ago Costa Rica disbanded its army and sold, perhaps to a third world guerilla or criminal organization, all of the canons and rifles it had stockpiled over the years. They wisely decided that what they spent on bayonets and grenades, would go further invested in educating their children and improving the health of beggars and disenfranchised. Since, Costa Ricans have become among the most consistently developed people in the Americas. They eat like Caribbeans: tres leches, arepas, rice and beans, and sweet suckling pigs, but they live differently. They have more youth orchestras, food, health services and good teachers per capita than anyone else in the New World. A couple of years ago they incarcerated an ex President that had been appointed Secretary General of the OAS, for allegedly accepting a $250,000 dollar bribe! That sum, which in some countries is barely enough to buy a nice Mercedes, ended the international career of one of their outstanding leaders.

Costa Rica maintains its progress because of the strength of its souls, their “almas”, the seriousness and respect towards the humanity of others, loyalty, capacity to work, creativity, and their insistence on improving their lot and the pursuit of excellence. That is food for the soul and food for “almed”, soulful forces. Costa Rica is not perfect but it is quite extraordinary as a country. In contrast, other societies that think they know a lot, while children and elders perish due to communal abandonment, spend millions on weapons without any serious threat to justify the spending.

As though we had the souls of dictators, we love planes, helicopters and threatening tanks in tacky parades and macabre displays of power. Remember Hitler’s, Stalin’s, Khrushchev’s, Franco’s and Fidel’s parades, with thousands of people marching and turning their heads while extending their hands towards the dictator of the moment? We were hypnotized by those parades despite the soullessness of the actors. Where is the compass, the north that shows us sensible and respectful roads for all of those with whom we share the walk of life? Where are the forces full of souls that seek to elevate our compatriots and open the way for better countries? Where is the soul that tames alienated leaders, with the force of morality and institutional strength more lasting than that of the military? Where are they when we cannot hear their message, to lead us to higher achievements?

Renewed thought leaders need to emerge in countries to curtail the corruption and foolishness of so many opportunists! May the force of respect arm itself and may the abuses be disarmed! If countries have armies, they should be used for the legitimate defense of their territory and people, against illegitimate aggressors and in defense of the constitution and the citizens’ identities. Such is the case with Colombia, a sister country with which we share borders, and which we mistreat without provocation when we have nothing better to do.

Never should armies be used to defend the personal objectives of any individual. A soldier’s life is just as valuable as that of any other citizen and should not be jeopardized in vane. The soul of an armed force ennobles the destiny of the citizens it protects. Never should an armed force be able to destroy the citizens’ soul.