A modest recap

For the last few years, I’ve been going through a personal yet ecumenical struggle for a better world. From the pictures you’re about to see below it may seem as if struggling is a lot of fun… and sometimes it is!!!

This state of universal empathy is not an easy one to explain. I’ve got many fruits out of my very personal and peculiar attempts at doing something meaningful for greater good, and some scars too.

The incredible voyage that started years ago has shaped me into the citizen I am. Every tear protected my skin, every laugh was a song with a theme, every spat was a splash of humanity, and every human I met helped me learn.

Let’s now look at the past with a smile as we build a better present for an even better future.

I was 18 years old and just had wonderful lunch with the governor of Miranda State, Venezuela and a dozen of international journalists, artists and intellectuals I was assisting.

Same year (2004) this time with Mrs. Bernardine Dohrn

2005 now at the World Festival of Youth and Students

Same, after a meeting with Angolese students

2006 now during the World Social Forum where I participated as a delegate with my short-lived association UJEI / YAFEU (Unión de Jóvenes por el Entendimiento y la Igualdad / Youth Association For Equality and Understanding)

With Venezuelan intellectual and writer Luis Britto García

Here after a workshop with the people from Share International, they are fighting poverty through spirituality. As an example they shared seeds of nutritious plants and fruits for everyone to take and share.

With the (former) Minister of Culture of Venezuela in the 3rd World Poetry Festival in Caracas 2006

It was the 4th World Poetry Festival (2007) and I was the personal attaché

of world famous Russian poet Yevgeny Yevtushenko. I took this picture of him with Syrian poet Adonis and Palestinian poet Nidaa Khoury

And last but definitely not least, a picture of me and a friend during the Gay Pride Parade 2009 in Paris, France (it's my 5th!)

I have a feeling 2010 is just a wink away... The world is definitely not the same it was 5 years ago. I am not the same neither. Moving to Europe has helped me broaden my horizons and get back in touch with my creative side. I'm still struggling for a better world, but I feel I can do it better now and in a much more creative AND practical way.

I'm looking forward to all new experiences...

Here's something Aldous Huxley said about that:

"Experience is not what happens to you; it's what you do with what happens to you."

So yeah! I'm ready to make a whole lot with whatever's coming! :D

Are you?

Carpe Diem.

Ser y Parecer : Parece ser

En un mundo lleno de etnias y diferencias / diferentes etnias / etnias diferenciadas / diferencias étnicas y los otros conflictos existenciales contemporáneos, nos preguntamos con relajada ansiedad e ingenio ¿qué soy? Incluso, en esta era del email / del IM / de la 2.0 / de GlobalVoices / de independencias arbitrarias / de la revolución democratizada, empezamos a pensar en cómo los robots cuestionarán su identidad en el futuro. Es la versión 2k del dilema de Shakespeare "ser o no ser". ¿Ser por querer ser? ¿Ser por los otros? ¿Ser o parecer ?

Mis experiencias sociales me permiten reflexionar al respecto, desde afuera, y vivir/sufrir el dilema, desde adentro. La aparente respuesta colectiva parece ser, entonces, parecer. Es una suerte de salida / de salida fácil / de facilismo intelectual / de intelecto superficial, de inmadurez emocional.

Ser gay y parecer hétero. Ser light y parecer integral. Ser cerrado y parecer abierto.

Descartes vivía en la República Neerlandesa (1581-1795) cuando dijo "je pense, donc je suis". ¿Habrá alguna vez pensado "soy católico y parezco protestante"? La obsesión con parecer más que ser oculta una intensa y profunda angustia, que azarosamente se expresa con una genialidad creativa de ámbito universal ; pero que casi siempre me hastía como un ejemplo más de la insoportable levedad del ser.

¿Ser arrogante y parecer humilde? ¿Ser falso y parecer genuino? ¿Ser miserable y parecer feliz?

Los parisinos / los venezolanos / los humanos estarán condenados a una terrible decepción si no logran aceptar-se. Hay cosas que nunca cambian, afortunadamente otras si. Pienso que el verdadero reto y dilema es ¿qué hacer? Para aquellos que decidan hacer parecer, les dejo una cita de Kurt Vonnegut de su libro Mother Night:

"We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be."

Carpe diem.