La Voz de Galicia – April 26, 2019 →
A day to reflect? Tomorrow is the Day of Reflection in Spain, and in the context of the country’s electoral calendar, the name of this day is thought-provoking. Even though in practice the day is not exactly one of reflection, the idea is quite inspiring: Can you imagine what would happen if all the important decisions in our lives could count on having an entire day of reflection?
According to the Royal Galician Academy, to reflect is to «focus thought on a single thing in order to analyze it in depth.» And in a world where it seems that things happen at a radically dizzying rhythm, it is sometimes impossible to find the time or the energy to focus our thoughts on something specific.
This week, after watching the debate among the four men who aspire to wield national power, I got hooked on a public channel for a little while, and then the show Proyecto Arkano—led by the rapper bearing the same name—popped up. The episode was a profound reflection on social networks through the stories of its protagonists: six young men and six young women of the twenty-first century. With its hybrid format between disclosure, critique and education, and with a beautiful aesthetic—modern and intergenerational—the show made me think about the space for analysis available in the media and the need we have of initiatives such as this one that teaches us to reflect through conversation and artistic creation. I learned more about society with the rapper Arkano than with all four politicians put together.
Tomorrow, let us remember the importance that a single vote has. Let us remember that through deep reflection we can change a country’s course. And even though the landscape may not be very hopeful, at least reflection would help us imagine which of the possible options could improve the reality of our lives.
