Backwardism

On the onset of the twenty-first century, the ideological disputes which marked the end of the Cold War during the eighties, makes a worthless comeback to center-stage.

What should be a rich academic debate is, instead, a barren tug-of-war which seems to me is more in tune with the strategic expansion project of an extra-regional power, than an effort to improve living conditions for the Poor.

Instead of advancing, we move backwards. We are in the middle of an ideological confrontation which leads to destruction rather than creation; to question instead of proposing; to "feel" as opposed to planning, and to talk instead of doing. It's a vision that confronts the future against the past, treading backwards. It's "backwardism" in its purest form.

It's everywhere, but it's most visible in the streets. While Union leaders demand free education for their members' children, teachers are out on the streets, shouting slogans. As workers demand for a pay raise, their productivity diminishes.


It's the same with the Government. Instead of rallying us toward success, it focuses on ensuring foreign 'aid', while it dismisses scores of civil servants to hire its own political activists. The money it allocates to severance payments is a huge leap backward.

The antidote to Backwardism is a vision forward, striving for individual, local and national successes as connected goals. Businessmen must seek new markets, striving for quality for success; laborers must see their relationship with their employers as symbiosis rather than Class Struggle. The high liquidity of Honduras's banks must give way to opportunities, even if it is the result of consumerist behaviors.


The Middle Class must embark on a transition towards a more relevant political activism; conquering spaces in political parties, setting up city halls in their own neighborhoods and encouraging its kids to set up service-oriented businesses instead of looking for jobs.

There are no easy solutions. The workers are right when they read the situation and point to the hardships of making ends meet, but a mere increase in the minimum wage is not the solution.

Government-bashing isn't the best choice either. We must find solutions to our problems on our own, without renouncing on criticism of the Government. After all, the Constitution was created so citizens can restrict the Government and no the other way around.


We must believe we can make it and then, we must get going. Only looking forward, into the future, can we leave Backwardism behind, where it should stay.