In good times and bad

By Areli Paz

Friendship: that unconditional feeling that makes us like certain people, that strength that makes us endure life with all its colors. 

That space of complicity that unites us with people who love, enjoy or try to explain life.

Friendship is to be in good times and bad. In bad times more. Because in the good times everyone wants to be with that brightness. 

Forgiveness: unwritten request to ourselves, it is the most painful thing to have to recognize a mistake and make amends.  

Request in act for those we hurt directly or indirectly. 

Hands up who has never made a mistake. 

The one who has never made a bad comment, the one who has never written something foolish, the one who has never criticized, the one who has never heard a gossip and told it. 

If the past caught up with us, no one would be spared. 

We all have stories we don't like to remember, where we suffered, where we were embarrassed, where we were not correct, loyal, polite, but rude, negligent or challenging.

If we were a perfect society, we would not have such a hard time adapting to what is different. 

The networks have become a public focus of hate, abuse, discrimination, a blow to self-esteem and lies. What used to be democratic communication within everyone's reach has let out our worst versions. All of us. Nobody escapes, I am not saying it, it is the reality of a humanity that advances without advancing, that has become unipersonal and that values success in the amount of likes, money and followers that are achieved. 

In real life, humans, just as in the web, seek affection, care and recognition of who we are and what we think. 

The fiction of the web and the truth of life intersect when we are exposed with our bad and good thoughts.

We have all seen in the last few days a brutal debate about the discriminatory or violent messages of the Spanish actress Karla Sofia, the messages are regrettable, and even more so if they are spells, the interesting thing is that those who point to her also do it with insults, disqualification, discrimination and hatred. A lot of hatred, even celebration of seeing her fall. Does that make them better people? 

It will never be defensible to mistreat in any way, it will never be defensible or justifiable to abuse. Discrimination will never be justifiable. A message intended to harm will never be a good sign. 

But the back-and-forth hatred doesn't add up to building better. 

The important thing about the public debate is that communication in the networks is no longer a private matter, it is no longer what you want to say, it is no longer "that's what I think, what do they care and I care", the heart of the matter is that the network has the power to build or destroy lives, that is why it is so important to stop, on one side and on the other. That is why it is so important to introspect on our own messages and take responsibility for what we publicly do and say. 

If we are honest and honest without going over the law, humans deserve second, third or fourth chances, until we become the best humans. Redemption, forgiveness and resilience will always be the best way to rebuild a society from its differences, from its good and bad thoughts. 

From the anonymity of the network we can say and do anything, recognizing mistakes and correcting them is the challenge.