Personal Reaction:

“Feeding our students at school is all right, but let`s also teach them so that tomorrow they`ll be able to feed by themselves”. This is one of the quotations that mostly shocked me in the lecture that Doctor Guillermo Jaim Etcheverry gave on Tuesday night. I have to admit that before that presentation I didn`t know anything about him and his work, and yet, the lecture was available for people of all ages, cultural and economical groups. I think that everybody could easily follow his ideas and comments.
As I see it, the use of a story that, just by imaginating is funny and nonsense, was a great way to open his speach. Doctor Etcheverry talked about different aspects of a same problem, and in many ocassions he made the public realize of the bitter reality that we face and, what`s worse, are used to.
Another thing that I really liked were the implementation of studies and their results. When he mentioned them, he didn`t used fancy words, or gave extra information that could make someone get lost. On the contrary, there was also a kind of a summary to simplify what he wanted to say.
Regarding his ideas, I agree with most of them, but I also think that it`s really difficult to apply the traditional methods in order to teach, because, by doing this, we put ourselves against a whole system that doesn`t have the slightlest conviction of doing so. Anyway, that`s the only aspect of his lecture that I found naive and quite difficult to achieve.
The rest of his ideas, though, made me opened my eyes constantly. While I was there I couldn`t help thinking of my 15 year-old niece,who needs me to “explain” to her in a simple language what her zodiac sign is about. That really frightened me. The good news is that Etcheverry gave the audience some tools that, for the time being, I`m eager to apply to my young family members.

Little brother:

I`ve been thinking a lot about you these days. Lots of memories come to me full of images of both of us. Do you remember those times? We used to play instead of taking a nap. I would tell you silly jokes and you would laugh with heart and soul. Those were magical times, in which I was your heroine, your friend, your partner of adventures. We were inseparable, remember? But then we grew up, and everything got cold and distant. We went through some difficult situations at different levels. I know that the death of our loved aunt stroke and affected you in a way that changed you completely. We were supossed to be together, but we failed at that so much! I know that I should have been there to protect you and tell you that everything would be all right, but instead, I was only worried about mom. I devoted all my time and energy in trying to pull her out of that hole in which she had fallen, and I forgot about you. On top of that, you weren`t helpful either: your actions dissapointed us and we felt that you abbandoned us just when we needed you the most. Inside me, a strong feeling of remorse against you made me change my attitude towards you.
Suddenly, time flew, and all the time I thought I would have to make things better was gone. You are a 22 year-old man, who have changed for good in many aspects but in others not. I wish you were closer to me and mom. We need of your support, and I personaly need of you as my brother. I know for a fact that we`ll never be best friends, and that`s ok with me, but if we could change, if we were just a little bit more flexible with each other...
Yesterday, when I was at home alone, I was thinking of you when the idea that you might hate me made me cry with actual pain in my heart. I know that one of the things that you dislike the most about me is how serious and annoying I can be regarding the housework and other issues. I`m sorry I`m such a pain in the ass, but I can`t help it. You and I see everything with different eyes.
Many times I see you and I have the need to hug you and tell you how much you mean to me, but I`m lack of courage, and I simply stay there.
I really wish things were different between us. If only you knew how much I need you. I wonder, is there still any hope for us? Only God knows.


I wrote these lines perfectly knowing that my brother won`t read them, but I did it anyway `cause I wanted to share all this that I feel with someone.

Complicated people:

There is a kind of person that scares me. The person who mistreats others, just to feel themselves strong, or intelligent, or superior. People like that make me feel so insecure and weak, that I just try to escape. I`m not interesting in hanging out with people who find shouting at someone amusing. Humilliating others make them believe they are special characters that can`t be judged by anyone, simply because no one will dare... poor little things that go through life lost, inmersed in their own fears and myseries, unable to trust in the person next to them.
All of us have bad days and rough periods, and nobody can say that he/she had successfully avoided them, but there is a huge difference between an isolated situation like that, and making of it a whole habit!
Another thing that I hate is having to comfront them (as a matter of fact, I don`t do it at all, I just run!). In case I don`t have other choice but to stand in front of them, there is always a terrible scenario in my head: I`m very little –almost an insect- and my counterpart huge, monumental, scaring, about to eat me... all I can think of is how long will that torture take, until the “master” decides that he/she is done with me and asks for the next victim. I know what you are thinking and you are right: I have a serious problem with those people.
I wonder, is there any solution for a person like that? What is it that gives them so much power anyway? Is it their position at work or their experience in life that alouds them to behave in that horrible way? Maybe they just do it for the sake of turning other people`s life into a living hell. Well, whatever the secret element is, let`s take it away from them, for they are dangerous. Seriously, the only objective in life of people like these is to to ruin our existance. Let`s get together and do something, for Christ`s sake!