In 1845 Karl Marx wrote his famous 11 Thesis on Feuerbach, published only in 1888 by Engels. In the sixth thesis, Marx says something true but reductionist: «The human essence is the gathering of social relations». In effect, the human essence cannot be imagined independently of social relations, but it is much more than that, because it is the result of the combination of these social relations.
Descriptively, without trying to define the human essence, it appears as a point of relationships of the greatest complexity, facing all directions: upwards, downwards, to the inside and outwards. It is like a rhizome, a bulb with roots in all directions. The human being is defined by the degree to which it activates this collection of relationships, not only the social ones.
In other words, the human being is characterized by its appearance as an unlimited opening: towards itself, to the world, towards the other, and towards the totality. The human being feels an infinite pulsation within, but finds only finite objects. Hence this permanent incompleteness and dissatisfaction. This is not a psychological problem that can be cured by a psychoanalyst or a psychiatrist. It is a human’s distinctive, ontological, trademark, and not a defect.
But, accepting Marx’s affirmation, a good part of the making of the human is effectively accomplished through society. Hence the importance of considering which social formation creates the best conditions for the human being to open fully to the greatest variety of relationships.
Without offering the proper mediations, it is said that the best social formation is that of social democracy: communitarian, social, representative, participatory, from the bottom up, and including everyone without exception. In the words of Boaventura de Souza Santos, democracy should have no end. We have to deal with an open-ended project, always under construction, one that starts with the relationships within the family, the school, the community, the associations, the movements, and the churches, and culminates in the organization of the State.
As Herbert de Souza (Betinho) emphasized so strongly during his life, I see that, like a table, at a minimum, a true democracy is supported by four legs. This is an idea that we tried together to disseminate, in conferences and debates, to mayors and popular leaders alike.
The first leg consists of participation: the human being, intelligent and free, does not want to be only the beneficiary of a process, but an actor and participant in it. Only then does s/he become a subject and a citizen. This participation must come from below, in order not to exclude anyone.
The second leg consists of equality. We live in a world with all types of inequalities. Each one is unique and different. But a developing participation in everything keeps differences from turning into inequalities, and allows equality to grow. Equality in the recognition of the dignity of each person and respect for his/her rights sustains social justice. With equality comes equity: the sufficient share that each person receives for cooperating in the building of the social whole.
The third leg is difference. It is a gift of nature. Every being, above all every human being, man or woman, is different. This must be accepted and respected as a manifestation of the potential of persons, groups, and cultures. These differences show us that we humans come in many forms, all of them human, and therefore deserving of respect and acceptance.
The fourth leg is found in communion: the human being has subjectivity, the capacity to communicate with his/her inner being, and with the subjectivity of the others. S/he is the carrier of values such as solidarity, compassion, protection of the most vulnerable and dialogue with nature and with the divine. Here spirituality appears, as a dimension of consciousness making us feel that we are part of a Whole, and as the group of intangible values that give meaning to our personal and social life, and also to the whole universe.
These four legs always go together and balance the table, that is, they sustain a real democracy. This teaches us to be co-authors in building the common good, and in its name, we learn to limit our desires, out of our love of satisfying the collective desires.
This four legged table would not exist if it were not supported by the floor and the earth. In the same way, democracy would not be complete if it did not include nature, which makes everything possible. Nature provides the physical-chemical-ecological basis that sustains life, and each and every one of us. Since they have value in themselves, independently of the use we would make of them, all beings are carriers of rights. They deserve to continue to exist and we should respect them and understand them as citizens. They will be included in an endless socio-cosmic democracy. Through all these dimensions, the human being is realized throughout history, in a process without limit and without end.
Free translation from the Spanish sent by
Melina Alfaro, [email protected],
done at REFUGIO DEL RIO GRANDE, Texas, EE.UU.
