By: Aylenn Minaya (Translated by Patricia Minski)
The 2021 presidential elections in Ecuador have really been an ordeal for all Ecuadorians. The future is so uncertain that it only depends on us and how we build it.The ‘power’ to decide who we want to govern us is in our hands. On the one hand we have socialism and on the other capitalism, two totally different ideologies that prompt millions of Ecuadorians’ minds to wander and to cause general unease.
It is said that the future is built based on the past, and it is precisely at that moment that fear inhabits our nights, tormenting our decisions and putting us at a crossroads. We think of our parents, siblings, children, grandchildren… but we are unable to obtain clarity and are terrified of falling into the ravine of failure.
FEARS AND ANXIETIES
Marthita (not her real name) is one of many mothers and grandmothers who lives in constant despair and anguish over the current situation.
She has lost sleep, because she has not stopped thinking about the future.Every night the same nagging question hammers in her head: Where are we headed, as a people and as a country?
She is a mother of three children and a grandmother to eight. She fears for the future of her children. She fears that they will not be able to receive a good education and that they will not be able to have a decent life.
It is an issue that not only affects Martha; it is an issue that affects all of Ecuador. I would like to emphasize that apart from the political situation, we are going through a worldwide pandemic, and that in itself has already devastated us all emotionally, physically and economically.
However, that is not the only anguish Marthita is experiencing.
The issue of confinement during Covid-19 prevents her from being with those she loves the most. For a little over a year now she has not been able to have physical contact with her grandchildren. Today, the internet has become her best friend since it allows her to at least share moments with her loved ones virtually.
For that reason, now that we are able and now that we realize that life is short and fleeting, let’s live well and happily.
I believe that each government has had its difficulties, nothing is always a bed of roses. Former governments made an effort to take the good with the bad and, despite everything, there has always been a struggle to come out ahead.
A LOOK AT THE PRESENT
In spite of all the adversity that each of us has had to live with, it is time to open our eyes and make our best choices. I am not only talking about politics but also social and daily life.
Let’s look for our path, let’s forge our future, let’s make our life a happy place. A comfortable place, one which we will never regret having taken; the best decision of our lives.
These are hard times, and I could say that worse times are coming, but no matter what the circumstances are, we will always look for a way out and a solution. Let’s not allow discouragement to distress us and corrode our altar of peace.
Let us not allow thoughts of an uncertain future to destroy our objectives. Let us not allow ourselves to create barriers without first having them in front of us. Let us not allow these and a thousand other things to stop the happiness of our present.
Therefore, today that we are alive and enjoying the pleasure and the blessing of breathing, let us take the pandemic and everything that happens around us as a lesson. Let us enjoy what little we have, let us love without restraint, let us share special moments with our families. Let us value the time we spend with friends. Let us be grateful for every second of life and, above all, let us put aside all bitterness and sadness. Because as my mom says: “Today we are here, tomorrow who knows?”.
Live, enjoy and be happy!
