Abstract

“The present is not inherited from the past. It is borrowed from the future”. _Chief Seattle, Sioux Indian

Buckminster Fuller gifted us the metaphor of thinking of the Earth as a space ship, and our attitude as “pilots” learning to drive correctly this enormous ship through space. The way I see things: if we behave like aliens, we are doomed to push the wrong buttons. Let me try to explain, briefly, a general portrait of the present of Latin America and how do I think there is a path to borrow from the future, to do this reflection, it is important the revision of the exact terms and definitions of a place hat is different in time. This is in order to have a clear conversation.

I have chosen the quote of Chief Seattle in a very strategic way to be the start of this essay. A character that belongs to the Americas, but that does not belong to the term Latin America, even though he belongs to the original tribes of this continent. We fail to learn the virtues of Mestizaje, the attitude of incorporating, mixing and being able to see everyone. There is a need of tribal wisdom in a contemporary attitude that takes us out of a reality of fragmentation.

• Juan José Díaz Infante (MX) is an artist and an independent curator. He was consultant for the Federal Electoral Institute, National University UNAM and Compuserve. He is a constant lecturer in many national and international universities. His work has been shown at the Venice Biennale, Fotofest and European Cultural Month.

Full text (PDF) p. 316-318