FATE OR CHOICES MADE?

All humans yearn for security and struggle for the survival of their vision of the future— a future unknown to all.

Battle of the Nudes, Antonio del Pollaiuolo, circa 1489, Public Domain, Wikipedia Commons

Antonio Machado, noted Spanish philosopher, has an often quoted stanza in his poem collection Poemas del alma (Poems from the soul). In Spanish it reads:

Españolito que vienes
al mundo te guarde Dios,
una de las dos Españas
ha de helarte el corazon.

My translation into English reads:

Little Spaniard coming
into the world God guard you,
one of the two Spains
will chill your heart.

Machado died in France in 1939 towards the end of the tragic Spanish Civil War. In my mind, the stanza I have selected here was undoubtedly influenced by the bitter political struggles of his day. The Spaniards were faced with choosing between building a new Spain or returning to oligarchic and authoritarian Spain. Monarchical philosophies, the power of the religious hierarchy, the human rights of the common people, and the interests of industrialists were at play. Spaniards were increasingly trying to reach a decision while being influenced by demagogues and the ensuing violent clashes among feisty factions.

For me, Machado’s message reaches beyond the Spain of his day— it applies to the United States as well as to other countries throughout the world. I see similar struggles with differing degrees of violence.

Today, in the United States, there is a similar struggle under way that fortunately has not yet resulted in a 21st century civil war. And we may avoid such an outcome if we step back, individually, and collectively, and consider a bigger picture.

As I pondered Machado's words, I began to see a deeper level in his message— thoughts that transcend Machado's Spain, and today’s national and international politics. The words in Machado’s stanza compel us to think beyond the perhaps short-sighted democratic and authoritarian world views; beyond Democrat and Republican attitudes; beyond conservative and progressive ideals. All humans yearn for security and struggle for the survival of their vision of the future— a future unknown to all.

I see in Machado's words a unique opportunity for each of us, as individuals, and as collective humanity. I believe that each side of any struggle has the capacity to chill our hearts when led by our basest inclinations. For me, the two Spains in the poem are metaphors that could easily apply to any number of scenarios with clashing ideologies.

Machado’s stanza brings a moment for us in which to choose a path: to create an environment of compassion, understanding, tolerance and collaboration in sorting out our individual visions of the common good; or to work in opposition to that premise and experience pain, suffering and assured mutual destruction.

I choose the first, for life and the unlimited possibilities that we may have yet to consider, regardless of our political or philosophical inclinations.

Will I, together with co-inhabitants of this nation and planet choose correctly?

What will you choose?