The Power of the Warrior E-Book

Néstor Galarraga

• Herausgeber: Tequisté
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 433

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2021

Beschreibung

Néstor Galarraga —author of Taekwon-Do, The Evolution Factor (Taekwon-Do, factor de evolución)— offers us a revealing path towards the development of personal power, and he shows us the fundamental axes of his transformation into an authentic warrior. After a life devoted to teaching Taekwon-Do, he reflects on what he has learnt and taught and about the personal experiences that he has gathered. Since he cannot retrace his steps —go back to those ignored paths and places of knowledge where he discovered who he is— he conveys all his experiences in this book. He explores common pursuits, martial arts, Taekwon-Do. He talks about all of us, about the journey, the emotions, the thoughts, the inner feelings that any person seeking to develop personal power goes through, the meaning of life and everything that dwells in our own hearts. This is a book that invites us to challenge our limitations and to discover how to live without fear, accepting with responsibility the burden of our own existence. It is a future classic of the martial arts, since it summarizes the main premises of their thinking.  

Leseprobe

The Power of the WarriorNéstor Galarraga

The Power of the Warrior

© from the texts: Néstor Galarraga, 2020

© from this edition: Publishing House Tequisté, 2021

Original title: El poder del guerrero, ©2020 Tequisté

Translation: María Cecilia París

Editorial coordination: M. Fernanda Karageorgiu

Graphic design and editing: Alejandro Arrojo

Photography: Miguel Ángel Martínez

1st edition: September of 2021

Publishing production: Tequisté

[email protected]

www.tequiste.com

ISBN: 978-987-4935-81-6

The deposit established by Legislative Law 11.723 has been made.

It is not allowed the total or partial copying of this work, its digitalization, distribution or transmission of any kind, either electronically, mechanically, digitally, by photocopy or any other means, without the prior permission in writing of its author or holder of copyrights.

BOOK OF ARGENTINE EDITION

-----

Galarraga, Néstor

The power of the warrior / Néstor Galarraga. - 1a ed. - Pilar : Tequisté. TXT, 2021.

Libro digital, EPUB

Archivo Digital: descarga y online

Traducción de: María Cecilia París.

ISBN 978-987-4935-81-6

1. Artes Marciales. 2. Deportes. 3. Superación Personal. I. París, María Cecilia, trad. II. Título.

CDD 796.8092

With love, to Dani,

the leading lady in all my movies…

Biography

Néstor Francisco Galarraga was born in Monte Grande, Buenos Aires, Argentina, on July 25 of 1958. Black belt, 9th Dan of the International Taekwon-Do Federation. He is one of the most distinguished taekwondoin because of his professionalism and work ethics. The Taekwon-Do Argentine Association, the entity that he leads since it was created in 1983, is one of the most important of its kind in the Argentine Republic. Hundreds of graduated instructors, thousands of Taekwon-Do students throughout the country and the constant international sporting accomplishments of its members guarantee the level of education provided. Grand Master Galarraga´s work in different areas of Taekwon-Do transcends permanently the international field and it is recognized for its integrity and originality.

He has worked on the development of learning methods, training, examinations, regulations and methodology of the sports area and he has made contributions to the technical and cultural area and to the integral development of the discipline.

He has written thousands of articles for specialized magazines of the martial medium and many books; he has participated in documentaries and TV programs, some of which he has directed; all of which is connected with International Taekwon-Do Federation.

He has been a leading participant in the most important decisions of Taekwon-Do of the last 35 years: by the end of the 70´s, as a competitor; during the 80´s, as competitor, trainer and leader of the Federation of Taekwondo of the Argentine Republic (FETRA); during the 90´s, together with the founder of Taekwon-Do, General Choi Hong Hi, as leader of the International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF); and, as of 2001, together with Master Choi Jung Hwa (son of the founder of Taekwon-Do), in the General Direction of the International Federation.

Grand Master Galarraga travels constantly throughout the Argentine Republic and around the world delivering courses, training seminars and directing championships of the ITF; he works tirelessly in support of the growth and development of Taekwon-Do for the ITF, globally. He serves as Director of Tournaments and Director of the Referee and Judges Committee of the International Federation since 1997, a time when Taekwon-Do of that entity was only one in the world. He restructured, between 1997 and 2000, together with General Choi Hong Hi and prestigious masters such as Wim Boss, the regulations with which ITF Taekwon-Do currently competes.

His passion for discipline allowed him to achieve 100 times over the dreams he had as a child. In his own words: «I have practiced and taught martial arts for over 40 years. I have delivered Taekwon-Do training seminars all around the world, including both Koreas, North and South, country where martial arts stemmed from. I have devoted myself exclusively to this discipline. Taekwon-Do has been a lifestyle with which I learnt to fight against adversity, a way of living, of being and conducting myself in this world; it has allowed me to have a full life with many satisfactions. I achieved 100 times over the dreams I had as a child. Life has been generous to me and a true box of surprises. I do not belong to the group of people who dreamt and made those dreams come true, since I have achieved more than I have dared to dream. In truth, I could say we are even: Taekwon-Do gave me everything and I gave it everything as well».

His passion for this art made him one of the main representatives and fervent keepers of the ITF style. He is currently living in Monte Grande, his hometown; he teaches Taekwon-Do and writes his experiences and thoughts about the practice, the teachings and the investigation of ITF Taekwon-Do, being a useful tool for human beings to develop and find balance.

The reason for this book

Personal power is a fundamental asset. All we do, all we decide, all our decisions throughout our life depend on how we feel about ourselves. Even if we do not realize it, the smallest details, the way we walk, we dress, our choices, our thoughts, our feelings and all our actions depend on that personal power. Humanity walks behind power; thus, a major part of our society runs after it, money, prestige, fame, sex; the power granted by having, a power that lives outside. We have fallen in love with our ego and our reasoning; we have launched ourselves into a path that will make us lose all our intuitive learnt abilities or, at the very least, these will be replaced by others.

Society today considers wealth and power over everything to be the model of happiness. And, of course, these “values” are installed beyond us. This is why I have the impression that human beings are moving towards a path that will make us lose ourselves.

I have practiced and taught martial arts for over 40 years. I have delivered Taekwon-Do training seminars all around the world, including both Koreas, North and South, country where martial arts stemmed from. I have devoted myself exclusively to this discipline. Taekwon-Do has been a lifestyle, a way of living, of being and conducting myself in this world; it has been my path and my destiny, which has allowed me to have a full life, with many satisfactions. I achieved 100 times over the dreams I had as a child. Life has been generous to me and a true box of surprises. I do not belong to the group of people who dreamt and made those dreams come true, since I have achieved more than I have dared to dream. In truth, I could say we are even: Taekwon-Do gave me everything and, in turn, I gave Taekwon-Do everything as well.

Every time I stand in front of a class, course, lecture or seminar, I ask myself if I could leave something with them, something that could stay with them, stuck forever. As my dear friend Viviana Lowe used to say, «if I am left with the feeling that I stuck some knowledge to the skin of my students, I have scored…». I am aware that this could sound pretentious or arrogant but, every time I start to teach something, I do it knowing that I am there to contribute with something, I am there in favor of art, culture, the technique and because I have in my hands a tremendously powerful tool, with the ability to bring something positive to the life of our students and always from Taekwon-Do, because I have practically had no personal life. However, when I go through what I have learnt and taught, I realize that some ink was left in the inkwell, some matters have remained unfinished. What I learnt —by harvesting experiences through life— about the development of personal power, I have not taught yet. And, since it is impossible to go backwards, to retrace history and to return to all those paths, to all those places of knowledge that I ignored, where I learnt who I am through what I do, I have decided to respectfully place it in this book.

It is about the development of power and, within its pages, you will find messages with much detail and information based on real experiences and on the certainty of how to reach the goals we set our minds to. In sum, it comprises everything that leads towards the discovery and development of personal power. It is not a history book; I will not go over the process of the different events I lived, which guided me towards my present conclusions; yet, sometimes I meticulously go over some fragments of history that are little know by the public. It is not a technical book either; nonetheless, I provide some thoughts and I include new concepts, based on recent investigations, with the main objective of generating new tools, so as to keep contributing to the technical development of our discipline.

This book speaks of common spaces, martial arts, Taekwon-Do; it talks about all of us, about you and me; it tells us about the road travelled, the emotions, the thoughts, the inner feelings that any person seeking to develop said power goes through, the meaning of life and everything that dwells in our own hearts.

Foreword

When Master Néstor Galarraga asked me to write a foreword for his new book, I felt great happiness, excitement and that it was a great opportunity to say goodbye to thousands of readers, who had accompanied me for 40 years, in this unique work that I have called YUDO KARATE. I told him that I would dedicate to him my last words in the martial arts, because it is possible that, due to a health problem, I might probably find myself unable to keep communicating; what an irony.

Unfortunately, I cannot speak much about the book or introduce the reader into what I think is a wonderful work, but, in turn, I can tell you about my dear friend, the author. With a lot of sense of humor, paraphrasing Fidel Pintos, I could say that I discovered Néstor Galarraga…

I remember, once, Jorge Luis Borges introduced the work of a painter and, after making a thorough and meticulous description of the most outstanding details of the artist´s painting, he said (have you noticed the irony?): «a blind person introducing a painter». In the same way and making an analogy, I could speak of Master Galarraga. He got his education, in many ways, in the hallways of the editing office of Yudo Karate, a magazine that reflected the occurrences of the martial artist in the Argentine Republic; in fact, he directed the magazine, in my absence, for three years.

Néstor has told me about the words in the pages of his new book, where he describes with detail the fundamental axes of his personal transformation and, it is no wonder, since he is a follower of his own steps, ending always with the realization of his own dreams. A man who has never stopped reinventing himself, and Yudo Karate has shown this throughout all his history.

More than thirty years ago, I had the honor of writing the foreword for his first book The Evolution Factor (Factor de evolución), in which he said that, absolutely focused on getting the things he aimed for, Néstor Galarraga has written, within the pages of that book, the most important thing he has ever achieved after years of practicing, studying and learning: his winner approach, because for him “to win in life is not the most important thing… It is the only thing”.

That book broke records in sales in the martial arts world, but I am afraid that The Power of the Warrior will substantially surpass it, since he talks about the road travelled, describing in detail the steps to follow in order to achieve the things we want, and he suggests technical development as a fundamental element to reach personal power and to master the art as a path towards spirituality. This book is nothing but a reflection of him, an additional sample of his responsibility, effort and commitment, with which he has devoted his life to ITF Taekwon-Do.

He has worked in the development of learning, training and testing methods, and in the making of regulations and methodology for the sports area, writing thousands of articles for Yudo Karate and other specialized magazines of the martial medium, and books. He has also directed documentaries, TV shows and he has been an active protagonist, participating in the most important decisions of ITF Taekwon-Do of the last 30 years. In the 90´s —together with the founder of Taekwon-Do, General Choi Hong Hi— and, as of 2001, with his son Master Choi Jung Hwa, he has made contributions to the technical, sports and cultural area and he has constantly worked towards the evolution and development of Taekwon-Do in the world. He has also directed the sports area of the International Federation since 1997, a time when Taekwon-Do of that entity was only one in the world. He developed, together with other masters in the world, the regulations with which ITF Taekwon-Do competes nowadays. He conducted world youth championships, world adult championships, world senior championships, all the versions of the World Cup, Pan-American and European championships, and all the versions of the America´s Cup, in America, Europe, Asia, Oceania. He made his ITF Taekwon-Do teaching method popular, by delivering seminars in more than 60 countries and his ability to organize events is a trademark.

Yes!!! It is enough to go over some of his history to know who we are talking about, “a martial arts beast”, a man who, with hard work, managed to surpass talent and, with discipline, has conquered intelligence. I do not need to read his book —I interviewed Master Galarraga hundreds of times— in this occasion, I know exactly where he is going… Why is that? Because I always saw it coming… I leave you with the author.

Miguel Hladilo

A few words about “The Power of the Warrior”

Almost ten years of active attention to a subject tend to leave a mark. This is a book that grew with time, accumulating reflections, conclusions. It is an innovative text, not only because of the content it expresses, but also because of its substance.

I feel that the underlying principles of this book were outlined, with greater clarity as time went by, in Néstor Galarraga’s train of thought throughout this last decade. The title of the book is very strong and I believe that, within its chapters, the reader will find the specific leads to walk this search path marked by the life of the author, a martial artist with a vast experience, a constant investigative effort, an unending curiosity and an invincible passion.

He invites us with a profound sense of spirituality to a required reflection, to connect with ourselves, to travel a path of new perceptions and to broaden our knowledge and consciousness, in martial arts, in Taekwon-Do and in our own existence.

It has been a privilege for me to collaborate in the production of this work of Grand Master Galarraga, my master, colleague and friend; it is a book that I recommend emphatically to those who have chosen the path of martial arts and, especially, Taekwon-Do as a way of being.

Taekwon,

Master Horacio Boitano

FIRST PART

The social situation

In spite of the advances of science, technology, the industry, art and culture, it gets harder and harder to live in such a big and complex society —with so many people divided by many social classes and a wide variety of differences— without feeling fear, insecurity, confusion, vulnerability. This big contradiction stands out: a society moving forward quite rapidly in some respects, yet stalling and moving backwards when it comes to fundamental matters such as human relations.

When people were living in small villages, each person had an identity of their own: they were “the offspring of someone”, and they would later follow the footsteps of their father, grandfather or a referent from the village. This feeling of belonging disappeared when small villages became big cities. This identity, this being that was built in conjunction with others, this having a path in line with the family history, disappeared little by little. Thus, a new history in connection with individualism began, and it became one of the great diseases of the present society, the fundamental ideology of which is “your worth is measured by what you have”, “you are alone and it is solely up to you” and “divide and conquer” … An individual is always weaker and a society based on individualism generates indifference, envy, arrogance, overconfidence, excessive protagonism, and an absence of personal encounters, bonds, intimacy and love. The ability of thinking collectively is a strength. Thus, it is necessary to build a stronger us, since the opposite of individualism is solidarity…

We live today challenged by the necessity of constructing our own identity and history, of making our own path, in a society that changes compulsively. We witness the frenzied development of a world filled with uncertainties. Apparently, life within a society offers us an endless number of possibilities, activities of all kinds —artistic, recreational, cultural, sporting—, dream places to visit, among others. From an educational and instructional point of view, many are the carriers and the job opportunities. But, if we look closely, the potential to choose is quite relative and reduced. What we can do is very limited and in order to do everything we would need many lives.

In that sense, society is clearly divided into two parts. One part wants to reach and conquer everything; all at once, if possible. The great majority tries to learn languages, to paint, to take music lessons, dance lessons; they go to the gym, play sports and —as soon as they graduate— they start studying something new. This part of our society is the most competitive and aggressive. All these people, no matter where they are, they always feel like they are losing something.

The other part goes nowhere; it is completely lost. It tries to live in the moment and it does not know where to go or what to do. Both sides of society show the clear imbalance under which we live; some cannot find the time because they are always running, and some go nowhere because they do not know where to go or what to do with their lives. It is difficult to find well-balanced people in the world that we live in. At the same time, we are always on the move, pursuing money, prestige, fame, sex and power. We spend the most important part of our lives trying to obtain, to acquire, to achieve and, then, we spend another great part of our lives caring or sustaining the things we were able to get. Thus, with time, we achieve the opposite goal: instead of becoming freer and wiser, we become custodians of our own accomplishments and acquisitions. Many become ill while building a fortune and, then, they spend all that fortune trying to heal themselves… What an irony! In the model for happiness, society puts wealth and power first; it focuses on the having and not the being part. Of course, these “values” are framed outside ourselves. Bliss lasts only a few days, since it is built on the will to have, on desire, and —therefore— it is not happiness. It is a satisfaction which does not suffice and does not last because desire does not stop changing. We are always after something and, when we get it, it always becomes something else, a new desire; when we accomplish our objective, we are back at the beginning and we soon realize that this is definitely not what we wanted. The passion to have has been imposed as a model for social happiness, yet the pursuit of desire does not make us happy but thirsty for more and more.

Furthermore, and contrary to what it should happen, the concentration of wealth is getting bigger and bigger. We live in a world where the majority has serious needs to survive and endures poverty, according to socioeconomic levels, which is something terrible. The concept of decent poverty ceased to exist; someone poor being happy is unconceivable. Dignified poverty does not longer exist; a poor person being happy is out of the question. In the past, it was said that poverty dignified the soul and that humility and solidarity are values found in the poor. Besides, people owned their words, which meant that they would never dishonor a compromise. These values were inherited from previous generations and the poor struggled to move forward, the concept of poverty being dignified existed, where parents would work extremely hard for their children to afford going to college. “My son, the MD” was the main challenge for decades, for thousands of immigrants who came to our territory, escaping from war and poverty, encouraged by a fundamental idea: the education of their children. Today, however, the places to which the poor can access are more and more restricted —education, work, healthcare systems and safety—, justice has become more precarious and limited, and the most unprotected classes are more tied to delinquency.

Those who have a little more think that these groups cannot go back and have nothing to lose. They act accordingly. Having no possibilities, no escape; they steal and kill because life is worthless to them and because they want to get, no matter how, whatever it is that they cannot have. Their lives have no meaning whatsoever; they are unhappy and unappreciated, but mainly by themselves. Children, teenagers and youngsters are submerged in the world of the cheapest and most deadly drugs. They do not try to live new experiences but to kill themselves a little bit, day in and day out. If you are part of this, you lack options. The only choice is to live trying to escape from these places and from spaces which are practically deadlock. These people are held by the culture of being and staying poor, by hardship, by their families and friends and by their own fear. They struggle to exit from a reality and go into another where they are faced with resistance, hostility, disqualification, and rejection, because those who are one step above do not want them as their peers. Society is, then, divided and confronted into different levels of acquisition and this generates, among the less fortunate, resentment, frustration, anger, hatred and violence of all kinds and, one step above, you may hear the famous yet sad joke that “we should set a bomb and blow them all up to pieces”.

Thus, many are the “yes, we can” stories. Probably, this ideology was adopted for people not to lose faith, hope. Yet it is wicked. With this idea that “you can do whatever you set your mind to”, we manage to disengage ourselves from the social responsibility of handling the issue, and those who live a more comfortable life find the excuse they need to keep a clear conscience by donating a used mattress that they were about to dispose anyways for those who, in this occasion, are under water. This is the way they have found to justify their inaction and tremendous lack of solidarity, by thinking that those who are unprotected actually want to live this was because, if you really want to progress, you can do it on your own. It is true that a few among many can surpass difficulties and move forward. Many times, by relying on their particular talents, they can surpass harsh life circumstances, fight against all odds, change history and move on. “Yes, we can” is a romantic concept and many are the examples that support it, but not as many as the examples of human beings that have no chance of living a dignified existence. This might be why I always dream of a society that is fairer, more equitable, more distributive and, fundamentally, more balanced and sympathetic, where there are no stories of superhuman capabilities to overcome poverty. So much talent for so little. Society loves the myth of the urban hero; the more sacrificed and morbid, the better.

Following the line of those who have a little bit more, the differences widen the gap, divide and separate society due to irreconcilable differences and people become confronted by different levels of acquisition. It is a sort of ladder with steps that have different names: destitution, poverty, low middle, middle, upper-middle, upper or high class, and so on. To these classifications, we may add other forms of disqualification: among the low classes, we find the red necks (villeros), immigrants, blackheads (cabezas negras); among the middle class, white trash (grasas); among the upper middle class, gold diggers or new rich. This list, made up by a classist world, forces people to climb up the ladder of a completely fragmented society.

The middle class struggles with all its might not to fall down. They are trapped by the financial system and they dance to the rhythm of credit cards, bank accounts, personal loans, and so on. The established system forces them to spend more, thus, work even more, so as to be able to consume more, which ultimately puts them in a very slippery situation. Their mind is set to go after two fundamental goals: not to become or go back to being poor and to progress into the upper-middle class; they are like kids trying to climb a greasy pole. And, once they manage to climb, those above reject them; they are deemed ordinary (grasas) by the upper-middle class and let’s not bring into the discussion what happens with the upper class, since it is even worse.

Unfortunately for those who have the will to climb up the ladder, you are born into the upper class and, if you are not, something will always be missing: culture, personal history, a last name to back you up. The only advantage is that the upper class does not directly discriminate; it bluntly ignores and, therefore, the discrimination is self-inflicted. If you were not born into that class, you cannot enter; it is as simple as that. People will chase the carrot attached to the stick (social classes) like donkeys. Power is always unattainable and the energy spent after that unattainable something is huge. We will find drugs here as well, yet better ones —off course— and organized crime like a matrix of corruption penetrating all classes and using the skills of those who have special and very particular talents. An organized band that is built stagedly and with a level of sophistication that is quite striking. The jobs are executed by delinquents who live in slums or in the most deprived neighborhoods, who are generally members of some group or gang (hooligans), including young burglars, with murderers and abusers breaking into houses, organized groups that kidnap, steal armored flow trucks, banks and conduct operations of a certain level of criminal sophistication, scams of all kinds and who change the course of the operations as they receive new information from their informants that are generally women working as household workers for the upper-middle and high classes. Intelligence is organized with the chiefs of police of each zone and the zones are liberated by those who lead these chiefs of police. Those in charge of reducing the loots are members of cooperatives, generally working for municipalities. Political power looks the other way and the judge guarantees the discharges… Victims are encouraged not to report the criminal actions and to stay away from the procedures and, if they insist, they will be threatened, themselves and their families, and sometimes those threats will be honored… and they will kill you… because their nature is perverse and being evil makes them feel good. What a world we live in! What a lever of wickedness!

Body, mind and spirit

Today, we invest a considerable amount of energy in body care and in the search of eternal youth. We speak of body, mind and spirit. We only speak of it; we have not incorporated the concept yet. We are infatuated with the power of the mind, our ego and body. However, it is necessary to clarify that one thing is the balance between body, mind and spirit —which leads us to love and accept ourselves— and something very different is to be in love with our own ego and body. As a result of this last conduct, we see disorders connected with the sustainment of youth and with being accepted by third parties, no matter the cost.

The body is no longer the faithful dog that will accompany us forever. The concept healthy body healthy mind, as a point of balance between good nutrition and periodic exercise to promote health and a better quality of life, was modified due to matters which were exclusively esthetic. Gyms, surgeries, sunbeds, hair care, cosmetic and dental treatments, and many others, are focused on esthetics and they obey the same end: the search for eternal youth, so as to be chosen or demanded by others. I would like to name this concept the esthetics that kills.

We need to be pursued all the time, otherwise we fill abandoned and, thus, unappreciated and lonely. We do not belong anywhere. Today, more than ever, we need to have the appropriate height, haircut, skin color, thinness, and so on, everything that the social stereotype demands. Based on this model, we will have more or less value, more or less money, more or less physical intercourse, more or less power, always in comparison with others. We are always seeking to be demanded and accepted by others.

In this case, power rests always on the standpoint of others, and we become slaves of the opinion of the others. Everything serves the same purpose: to be liked, to please, to conform. Of course, this entails a great effort, which increases as time goes by. Acceptance cannot otherwise be sustained. This effort does not ever lead us to real power since it always depends on the reflection or point of view of others. Trying to stay young indefinitely is pure void and marketing, but we live in a world where adulthood is totally undervalued and power, always outside.

Communications and education

Technology at the service of communications has created a world that is in permanent interconnection. The way to connect, meet and treat people has been transformed. The world has never been so communicated; however, people suffer more than ever the consequences of miscommunication and the feeling of loneliness… What a great contradiction! Virtual communications do not make us feel a sense of belonging to anyone or anything, at the time being. There is no place for conversation; individualism has chewed our brain and submerged us into a constant monologue. We stopped listening to each other and we only speak of ourselves all the time. Even the way we are as friends, as a couple or as a partner has changed. People stopped meeting each other through daily spontaneous events, at a coffee shop, at the gym or supermarket. Any attempt of personal approach makes that person a suspicious individual and, no matter the technique, it makes us insecure. How can we know for sure who that person really is! People nowadays meet through the Internet and, contrary to what one may think, it seems that this method makes us feel a certain amount of safety.

We are more connected to the world than to the people that are close to ourselves. Anyone can connect with alleged friends, simultaneously, in the five Continents and instantly —from a cellphone or a notebook— from their bed, in their room, and not know what is happening to the rest of the family that is in the kitchen of their house. We have lost the bonds with our closest people; we have broken the connections that linked us to them and we have gained that connection with the world. It is common to see friends or couples in bars, apparently sharing a drink together. One, on the Internet and, the other, sending text messages.

I have observed people for hours that have sat there, without exchanging two words together. It is like a new way of being close, yet each person is submerged in their own world. It is a new way of being friends, of being a couple. Also, these globalized internet-based communications have no content and no sense. Many people chose a nickname to interact with others. Users depict themselves in a totally frivolous manner, without showing who they really are. Nothing is personal, interesting. These types of communications, for now, do not touch the soul, do not enrich ourselves; they only give us the illusion of having many friends but the feeling is that of solitude. All these forms alienate individuals away from their core, their center, and they lead the way towards the solicitation from unknown people. We need to receive thousands of e-mails, of friend requests, either from China or Japan, even if we do not speak the language. It does not matter; we wish to receive many text messages and to acquire thousands of friends from Facebook, that big showcase displaying, many times, nonexistent lives. This is a digital place where you are publicly insulted, yet they will ask for you forgiveness privately. They have public opinions of people they do not know or have not ever seen.

This is another way to be seen and to become slaves of the viewpoint of others; a sort of reality of our intimate lives, displayed on the social screen. We need to stay in touch with thousands of people by means of Twitter, Instagram or Facebook, and to inform them of what we do, to be much solicited, and to experience the nice feeling of choosing who we grant the privilege of our friendship. But the result of this is a sense of total void. We have stopped being organic creatures. Our cellphone, for instance, is attached to our bodies, which means we have become part machines, or else, machines have become part human.

Human beings are suffering from a relationship crisis and we are totally dehumanized. Urban centers were never so populated; neither was society so communicated, so connected. However, more and more people are suffering from loneliness, sadness and vulnerability. People feel they live in a world where there is no place they belong. Stress and energetic disorders, resulting from anxiety attacks, panic, vertiginous syndrome, difficulty to concentrate, eating disorders, sleep deprivation, etcetera, are partly a consequence of the technological development of communication services.

Being friends or mates is something that is learnt, at home, in the neighborhood. It is picked up —or it was, at least— among brothers, with our parents, with the help of rituals like drinking mate, or a coffee, by talking at the table after lunch, conversing or growing next to someone. In the past, this was something valuable, and it added up quite a lot. Thus, it was taught, passed on from one generation to another, as a timeless ritual.

Learning methods allow us to save time and energy; something production methods do as well. Everything is increasingly faster. A machine replaces the labor of thousands of workers; everything is progressively more efficient. In terms of education, memorization of concepts and knowledge like an encyclopedia was replaced by teaching to think, yet this is also questionable. We teach to think but not to learn. Quite strange, isn´t it? Currently, education is being “mechanized”, by separating it from the art of teaching. In the past, the teacher had more power. Today the word master (a person having an extraordinary ability or mastering the subject he or she instructs) has been replaced by teacher (a person that conveys knowledge and whose position towards the subject matter he or she teaches is much weaker), thus the trade, the art, gets lost and it becomes a more regulatory and prescriptive system. On the one hand, a teacher is bound by a set of rules; on the other, the freedom of concept is lost and the art of teaching gets separated from the art of educating.

Nowadays, information is available to all, at the touch of a bottom. And it is confusing. There is too much information and there is no need to hold any kind of knowledge. If you know how to use a calculator, you will be able to solve any mathematical calculation or equation. Moreover, everything is stored by artificial memories, which are available to anyone. Everything is in Google, Yahoo, etcetera.

Children know how to handle our complex new technology and computing software, and they can access a certain type of knowledge from the Internet, but they ignore simpler things that are even more important. For example, they ignore the value of games that are there to teach them about the responsibility of making friends or becoming part of a team, among other lessons. Kids do not get involved in any kind of participative method —it is said, but not done— and this is a basic and most significant educational problem.

Adolescence is essentially a time of change. It is the stage where the transformation of a child into an adult takes place. They are adolescents because they are children no more, but they are not adults yet. They go through a process of hormonal changes and, from the emotional point of view, their main characteristics are that they start to particularize affection, to discover their own individuality and sexual identity. It is the period where the search for their own autonomy starts, a process that extends from 12 to 19 or 20 years old. In the past, this stage was misrepresented as “the awkward age”; it was shorter (ages 11 to 16) and it was common to hear that girls aged or became more mature faster than boys. There were always particular differences regarding certain characteristics and gender issues. Nonetheless, today it is said that adolescence was stretched up to the age of 30. Quite an extensive process… don’t you think?

Adolescence was always considered to be a period of certain contradictions. Nowadays, the lack of educational support, of clear differences within the model containing the teacher-student relationship and the non-attachment to rules, to order and discipline have added more confusion to the one in existence already. There is this new idea in the adolescent world stating that they are the ones who should reform or revolutionize education. Thus, in line with those they consider to be their peers (teachers), they take possession of their schools to force guidelines that will restructure the educational system. We may add that their own parents support this conduct, accompanying their kids in the commission of a crime. Taking possession of a school is a crime or, at least, it is a true sacrilege against the world of education. Probably, these actions will cause an irreparable or, at least, a greater damage. But adolescents are not aware of this, because they have not yet acquired the ability to foresee the future. It is striking that their parents have not acquired it either. It is crazy to try to put out a fire by using gasoline.

Also, every week many adolescents end up in an emergency room from alcohol poisoning, drug abuse or the many forms of violence that have lately invaded their word. There is also bullying, discrimination and sexual abuse. What is more striking about these cases when they are exposed is that these kids, mostly, are justified, supported and accompanied in their behavior by their parents and, sometimes, by their teachers. Are these the youngsters who want to reform the educational system? I believe these kids have realized that they can fight it all, that the truth of their teachers and parents is relative, as justice is relative to them, and they deem the police force to be an organization of unacceptable people. These kids understand they have won a terrain and they are not willing to let it go; they know that they will not be kicked out of school or sent to jail, because they see it is as simple as entering through one door and exiting through another one. Yet, unfortunately, this does not constitute progress whatsoever, because children do not know where to go. There is, in everything, a “tiny” confusion where adults have ceased to be adults and we have invited kids to stop being kids… With this tale of individual freedoms, parents have stopped being parents, teachers are not teachers anymore and children, obviously, as a consequence, have stopped behaving as sons, daughters and students. It is absolutely necessary that, as parents and teachers, we finally understand that certain things are not open to discussion with our kids or students; some things are non-negotiable, for instance, tidiness, punctuality, class attendance, discipline, ethics, humility, moral behavior and respect to the authority.

In sports, fare game should be taught when it comes to competition, the respect of a rival and, both at home, at school and the sports field, the absolute respect towards the principles and values aiding a society to be more just, integrated and inclusive. All these matters should not become part of a debate, neither with our children nor with our students. Adults must start behaving like adults once again, laying down the rules of the game, and demanding our kids and students to act accordingly… The whole community needs new examples and the children of our society need to learn from parents and teachers that offer a world that is safe to grow and live in; they should teach with the certainty of a guidance throughout a clear path, because they know where they are going and what they need to get there. Within this overall picture, some things might be talked and they might even be open for discussion with our children and students, yet some things may not. And this difference should be part of a policy in all social classes; kids should know that the more possibilities you are given, the more caring you need to be. We must all rescue solidarity and make it a fundamental value.

When I was a student, the children who were considered smart where those who had developed the capability to conduct a logical analysis. Intelligence was considered to be innate and immovable. You were either born intelligent or you were not, and education could not change that fact. Intelligence was linked to the unique capability of gathering other specific skills, like math or linguistics. These thoughts were the basis of intelligence, regardless of the ability or inability to solve a vital problem. Thus, under this context, we could say that a frustrated intellectual in every aspect of his or her life was considered to be intelligent and a successful painter was deemed to be a lucky talented person, but never an intelligent one. Crazy, isn’t it?

In this sense, education has not changed a bit. The educational system has an enormous number of tools; yet these have not helped in a positive transformation. On the contrary, it has lost some fundamental matters, like the teacher-family encounter and the teacher´s authority. And this is the result of a teaching method linked to the idea of fellowship or nepotism and, evidently, demands have been replaced by what we could call permissiveness. There is not even a methodological demand at school, since kids that feel too pressed will simply abandon it. Half the students leave high school unfinished. And the half that finishes it cannot interpret texts.

Public education is today a true failure. It constitutes a bleeding wound to the enormous number of distinguished professionals who were educated within the public system in our country. Disciplinary sanctions are impossible to impart because teachers are at risk of being beaten by students or their parents. One more detail: teachers of today are not educators, they do not educate, they are someone who simply passes information. This happens because they do not have the tools —and when they do, these cannot be applied— or because their image is tainted or ruined by society, but fundamentally by themselves. Teachers stand today at a real crossroads; they have no tools, because schools do not provide them; the conditions are not met and there are no social guidelines to give answers, since there is no North to follow. We face many issues that are still being discussed, which are unresolved, and children and adolescents are aware of this…

Personally, I was good at sports. I was able to take up any type of game or sporting activity, even without knowing the disciplinary rules and just by naturally imitating or by relying on my natural capabilities. I had developed an understanding of my body but I was far from meeting the requirements of that concept of intelligence. That capability was reserved for only a few mates, who were always identified as models. However, as time went by, life ended up showing other issues about these examples that I, of course, do not take them as the general rule. I simply believe that the development of a specific capability, no matter which one, does not constitute any guarantee.

Intelligence, from my viewpoint, is closer to Howard Gardner´s idea, which developed in the 90´s the theory of multiple intelligences. Gardner criticizes the idea of one type of intelligence alone and it defines that kind as “the ability to solve problems”. I love this definition. It has everything it needs; it is plain and to the point. Intelligence should not be considered a capability but a group of capabilities that, as a whole, gives us alternatives, means of escape and solutions, to face the inconveniences and problems arising from the issues of living in society. We should see intelligence as a group of capabilities, acting individually or jointly, depending on the circumstance, including different abilities in the intellectual, emotional and physical field. Also, intelligence should be linked to the capability of relating with each other, of interacting and associating with others to accomplish any type of plan.

My father, Francisco, from whom I learnt the most, was a daily philosopher and one of the most intelligent people I ever knew; he had no academic education of any kind. His thoughts were ironic, he was always blunt in a very sharp way, and he was so clear that it was confusing. When he talked about intellectuals, he asserted that, in this society, with time, all illnesses will be cured, even cancer, but “if you are born a jerk, you will die a jerk”. He always stood by this definition, unacademic, by the way, yet quite interesting. He would hear someone say, for instance, “What an intelligent boy!”. Immediately, his remark would be that something was wrong, not the subject in question, but the social form of intelligence being pointed out; the counterpart of which would be an educational form of intelligence. My father defended his views about those considered to be socially intelligent. In other words, he said that the exacerbated development of one ability neutralized others. Thus, it is common to see individuals who are considered to be extremely intelligent with a paralyzed capacity for doing. They see life alchemically, with a capacity to analyze and comprehend practically everything, including how their own life goes to shit, without being able to do anything about it, because their ability to react is numbed. Regarding my father´s thoughts and perspective, I will continue telling you about it, later on, in this book.

When I was young, it was impossible to be considered intelligent for having special abilities regarding music, painting or sports. These people could be considered talented or, even, gifted (those who had a very special skill), but never straightforward intelligent. Those of us who pass on physical or artistic knowledge notice that, when people talk about special talents or gifts, they are referring to a kind of specific and unconventional intelligence and, most commonly, one that is unrecognized by the educational community. Moreover, it is devised to keep other forms of intelligence unregistered and, of course, to undervalue other types of teaching. However, people learn, express themselves and use knowledge in many ways. These differences challenge the educational system in general; a system that suggests —in an outdated manner— that we should all learn the same things the same way and that, in order to do so, we only need a standardized, uniform and universal method. This entails that we all have the same type of intelligence. As a result, we are all conditioned to learn the same things, the same way, based on a unique criterion of universal capability and intelligence. It looks like the goal of educating subjects is to turn them into objects or products that fit in with this consumer culture. In order for society to be a safe place once again, the starting point should be the school and the home. Schools should teach basic things, logically. How to handle these lessons, and the learning system for students to learn how to learn, will always depend on the model chosen to transmit values, one that parents of the students from that educational facility should agree on. In order to save time and energy, we need to go back to the school that teaches, not the school that conveys information about certain subjects, but values that are taught to embrace, live and share; children who learn how to interact with adults and who respect them; kids who speak at school with teachers and with adults outside school a certain way; students who are taught to speak with respect and, fundamentally, to listen. The result of all this should be reflected in the learning capabilities but, fundamentally, in society. As parents, we should stop demanding schools to take over our responsibilities and we need to take matters in our own hands… To put it clearly, I chose this topic: teachers at school who do not educate, but I might as well have talked about the police failing to look after people in the streets; doctors failing to heal at hospitals; politicians failing to pass on policies that benefit Common Good, instead of favoring themselves and the interests of their families for generations to come. These people are mostly responsible for the world we are forced to live in, and let us not talk about justice: nothing is less just than our justice.

Going back to the education topic, the world changes and becomes transformed constantly, and education rests on fixed parameters and standardized criteria. This is contradictory indeed. But I want to be clear about something: I honor the ways of the past; I do not assert that it was better, but the embodiment of the master was anchored in the example, in the model. The master was someone who had mastership and who educated. Nowadays, the educational system passes on information, instead of shaping or educating. In any case, the name of the system should change from educational to informative or normative, and its foundations should be revised. We should consider the possibility of distinguishing some aspects in a system that takes into account multiple knowledge or intelligence, physical knowledge, alternative disciplines… I insist: at school the model should be redefined… Everything generating a greater identification or motivation of the student with the learning process. We all have different ways of learning, because we have different abilities and types of intelligence. We should understand, as well, that true education goes through discipline, order and has nothing to do with uniformity or conformity. We need to form and not to conform, even when the latter is easier to achieve. In other words, Julio César Labaké says: education is not possible without helping to discover paths, without the awareness that we are awakening another human being and coming along with that individual´s eye-opening, because every student is our only alternative of a future.