Constructively Channeling Interests and Needs

If we intend to impose our interests over the interests and needs of the others, we will create unfair and conflictive situations. This is not difficult to understand, but it is hard to accept. When the imposition takes on a virulence that threatens the rights or security of the whole, justice and law enforcement authorities are required to take action. We are in the presence of limits that are socially required to ensure coexistence; yet, they are not sufficient to secure the full development of individuals and countries. This demands that a more extensive range of differences emerging within the legal boundaries be tackled. To address them democracies have certain mechanisms that we unfortunately use only partially when they suit our individual or sector interests and needs.

Why does this happen? Sometimes, due to a lack of democratic culture. In these cases the solutions lie in education, a greater exercise of debate and dialog, a better and more creative negotiating attitude that is capable of generating innovative spaces for reconciliation and understanding. All this is sustained on a solid social and individual health, which is not always present. There are social traumas, such as the authoritarian and repressive regimes undermining social health for periods much longer than the actual time they have remained in power. To get over them it is necessary to make those traumas that enervate social coexistence explicit, and process them.

But there are also other reasons why differences turn into antagonisms instead of contributing to coming up with solutions. That occurs when the channels for communication and understanding are blocked because of having been appropriated by privileged groups that manipulate and use them for their exclusive benefit. In those cases, the social pressure resulting from so many ignored interests and needs builds up until it overruns and bogs down social coexistence. In extreme cases, social unrest breaks social containment dams and causes traumatic effects impacting dramatically on the evolution of our social organization.
At all times and everywhere, it is worth asking ourselves how we manage to make constructive choices prevail; how we mobilize to materialize them using the mechanisms available in a democracy. Let us hope that the articles in this issue of Opinión Sur somehow contribute to a better understanding.

Cordial greetings.

The Editors