The Value in Respecting Differences
The month of February that is ending has been a personally inspiring experience.
On the first of the month, my wife and I took flights from Juan Santamaría airport to Delhi, India. From there, we went on to Varasani, Jodhpur and other cities, finally arriving in Bengaluru in the south.
Then we traveled to Doha in Qatar, and today I am writing from Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.
At the age of sixty and with great eagerness–as well as with a certain degree of naivety– I decided to go take a new Master’s program in business with a global emphasis.
In this module, we focus on the Middle East and northern Africa. Lead by Georgetown University, Esade, and INCAE, the classes are conducted in different locations around the world, while experimenting with cultures and experiences that do not cease to exalt the infinite value in respecting differences.
A Daily Scene in Jaisalmer
Meanwhile, in Costa Rica, the electoral process has recently culminated procuring the most unexpected outcome possible, except for a few indications we received a few days before the elections.
I followed everything that was going on in the country, closely and from afar, watching the polarization, reading comments of all tones and types. I followed the news, the final debates, feeling the stupor and euphoria mixed in with the unthinkable.
Today, as we begin our return, with my fingertips on the keyboard and while I listen in the distance to the call to prayer in this Muslim country, I write to celebrate the differences, to propose reconciliation in the face of conflict, as well as respect, tolerance, and understanding.
A national political consensus is a pie in the sky and to expect it is flat out foolishness.
Thank God We Are All Different
There’s nothing wrong with having different points of view. It isn’t a big deal if we don’t manage to agree either. A national political consensus is a pie in the sky and to expect it is flat out foolishness.
I am not going to be on board with everything Carlos proposes within the PAC party or with Fabricio in the Restauración party. It is useless to attempt total acceptance, a pragmatic negotiation is better.
Without personally knowing either of these two young men who find themselves in the final round of the electoral race, the four years that are coming to a close allow me to better visualize the PAC party, its successes, and shortcomings, its credentials, and track record.
It will be my assignment in the upcoming days to learn what the PRN and its until-recently unknown candidate, bring to the table because the decision made in the next election should be an informed one.
In the last few days, I have lived among Hindus, Buddhists, and Muslims. I have smelled open-air crematoriums and witnessed astonishing ceremonies.
I was taking classes and during that time I visited both Indian and Qatari companies as well as global ones. I greeted an elephant in the middle of the street and made great friendships of a variety of skin colors, origins, and inclinations.
Celebrate Tolerance and Respect
Let’s celebrate our differences, conflict resolution, respect, tolerance, and understanding.
Today I return in high spirits, moved and revitalized by the wonder that is human beings in absolutely all their expressions and without exception. That is why, from this corner at La Nación, I invite you to take this new trip in the upcoming campaign, now on the wings of reason and with a better Costa Rica in sight.
I will return to the blog in a few days and I invite you to unravel together that path towards respect that Costa Rica so greatly needs.
