'''The man who finds his country sweet is only a raw beginner; the man for whom each country is as his own is already strong; but only the man for whom the whole world is as a foreign country is perfect' (I myself, a Bulgarian living in France, borrow this quotation from Edward Said, a Palestinian living in the United States, who himself found it in Erich Auerbach, a German exiled in Turkey)."
I didn't get to write my post on Todorov's quote, but I wanted to reflect on it. Todorov speaks about how a man perceives his country. I found very interesting that while he acknowledges the strength of a an who loves every nation, the author praises the man who has no feelings for any country. The later has the ability to look objectively at the events world-wide. Just as I had expected, going back to Mexico allowed me to look at the situation there from a different perspective. Yet, I can't say I'm able to detach myself from the feelings and look at the whole objectively. There are many mixed feelings back home; about the new president, the migrant caravan, the insecurity, etc. But one thing that sticks out is the constant creation of "Other" to blame for the problems. No one wants to take the blame (and I insert myself as part of this). Everything is someone else's fault. Hopefully in the years to come the people of Mexico will start to realize that progress can only come from a united country, and that the negative separation of the "Other" leads to hate.
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AlonsoI'm from Mexico City. I love cooking and eating Mexican food. Archives
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