The Illusion of Independence in the 21st Century

Tales about superheroes and political oppression

Freedom in the 21st century has taken a complex meaning . The notion of power at all levels has become a matter of money and capacity of manipulation, causing a distortion in our minds and changing the meaning of justice, security and wellbeing.

 Citizens still believe in the possibility of a fair system that will provide and protect shelter, education and security for the people of a country while the system itself changes the other way around being ruled by the logic of markets and consumption. The notion of nation has changed drastically since the fall of ideologies and the end of cold war in the 80´s. Corporate and business mindsets set the logic of governments and states.

Some interesting facts to understand this logic may be

• The creation of new countries during the 90´s in the balkans as a result of the war for the drug dealing industry entering Europe from Asia.
• Local multimillionaires and family dynasties looking for absolute power in their regions, controlling companies, politics, foundations, law and banks.
• New absolutism / nationalism and cultural segregation as a tool to make the masses create new political orders via ¨democracy¨.

Independence and nationalism are frequently mixed terms . Some regions believe the more nationalistic and radical they become the more possibilities of becoming a nation they have. but is that really independence or does it become a form of isolation and endogamy?

Nationalistic movements have been seen in the future with catastrophic results, when pushing the limits of cultural identity into cultural exclusion and segregation. Perhaps a way of developing a strong identity and being mentally independent is being more open to the internal diversity and understanding our own culture is not a set of rules imposed by a government or a group, but the recognition of internal common interests, purposes and talents.

Independence may not have anything to do with those we think of as our enemies or what they have done to us in the past, but with building a future and a culture that are inclusive and organic inside.

Here is a list of regions and communities currently claiming independence across Europe my big question is what is their approach to the notion of independence?


Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh De facto state:  Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, Government-in-exile:  Azerbaijan — Azerbaijani Community of Nagorno-Karabakh Belgium  Flemish Region  Proposed state:  Wallonia  France Bosnia and Herzegovina ; Republika Srpska  Proposed state:  Republika Srpska, Croatian Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia Proposed state:  Croatian Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia, AP Western Bosnia Proposed state:  AP Western Bosnia Croatia Secessionist movements Republic of Serbian Krajina Proposed autonomous county/region: Istria County Cyprus De facto state with partial de jure recognition:  TRNC Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus Czech Republic Moravia Political parties: Moravané (EFA member)  Denmark Faroe Islands Proposed state:  Faroe Islands Finland  Åland Proposed state:  Åland,  Sami Proposed autonomous region: Sápmi France Secessionist movements  Basque Country Proposed state: Euskadi or Euskal Herria (Basque Country),  Brittany Proposed state: Brittany,  Corsica Proposed state:  Corsica or  Italy, County of Nice, Gradual and eventual secession,  Brittany Political party: Breton Party  Georgia   Abkhazia (member of the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization), De facto state:  Republic of Abkhazia Armenians in Samtskhe-Javakheti, Proposed autonomous area: Javakhk autonomous region. South Ossetia De facto state:  Republic of South Ossetia  Germany Bavaria  Italy  Padania Proposed state: Padania, Aosta Valley,  Piedmont ,  Lombardy,  Insubria, Trentino, South Tyrol, Veneto,  Friuli-Venezia Giulia,  Liguria,  Emilia,  Romagna,  Tuscany,  Marche,  Umbria,  Sardinia,  Southern Italy  Lithuania  Samogitia  Macedonia Illyrida  Moldova:  Transnistria and  Gagauzia  Montenegro   Sandžak,  Bay of Kotor — Kotor,  Ulcinj,  Serbs of Montenegro,  Herceg Novi,  Pljevlja.  Netherlands   Frisia  Norway   Sami Proposed autonomous region: Sápmi  Poland  Upper Silesia  Portugal   Madeira,  Azores   Romania   Székely Land: Székely autonomy initiatives  Russia North Caucasus:  Adygea  Chechnyan Proposed state: Chechen Republic of Ichkeria,  Dagestan,  Ingushetia,  Kabardino-Balkaria,  Karachay-Cherkessia,  North Ossetia-Alania^[,  Chechnya, Dagestan, Ingushetia Proposed state: Caucasian Emirate (claimed successor to Ichkeria), Circassia Proposed state: Circassia, including all regions historically included in Circassia and/or inhabited by Circassians (note: this includes Adygea as well as large parts of Kabardino-Balkaria, Karachey-Cherkessia, Krasnodar Krai, and Stavropol' Krai), Balkar and Karachay peoples. Other regions in Russia :  Tatarstan Proposed state: Tatarstan, Idel-Ural,  Kalmykia,  Udmurtia Proposed state: Udmurtia,  Siberia,  Karelia Proposed state: East Karelia or reunification with North Karelia and South Karelia and the formation of united Karelia,  Ingria Proposed state: Ingria (comprises Saint Petersburg and Leningrad Oblast),  Chuvashia Proposed state: Chuvashia,  Komi Republic Proposed state: Komi Republic,  Mari El Proposed state: Mari El,  Mordovia Proposed state: Mordovia,  Bashkortostan Proposed state: Bashkortostan  Serbia  Northern Vojvodina; proposed autonomous region: Hungarian Regional Autonomy,  Sandžak[12] Proposed state:  Sandžak ,  Preševo Valley, Kosovo De facto state:  Republic of Kosovo.  Spain Areas in Spain with separatist movements:  Basque Country (autonomous community) and  Navarre (Main article: Basque nationalism) Proposed state: Basque Country (greater region) – Euskal Herria,  Catalonia,  the Balearic Islands and  the Valencian Community, known alternatively as Valencian Country(Main articles: Catalan independentism, Catalan nationalism and Valencian nationalism), Civil Organization: Assemblea Nacional Catalana, Sobirania i Progrés, Plataforma pel Dret de Decidir, Cercle d'Estudis Sobiranistes, Deu Mil en Xarxa per l'Autodeterminació, Advocacy groups: Catalunya Acció, Free Catalonia, Moviment de Defensa de la Terra, Cercle Català de Negocis.  Galicia Proposed state: Galician Republic,  Andalusia (Main article: Andalusian nationalism), Proposed state: Andalusia,  Aragon, Proposed state: Aragon,  Asturias (Main article: Asturian nationalism), Proposed state: Socialist Republic of Asturias,  Cantabria Proposed state: Cantabria,  Canary Islands ), Proposed state: Canary Islands,  Castile Proposed state: Castile, León Proposed state: País Llïonés – Leonese Country (Conceyu Xoven) Civil organisations: Ciudadanos del Reino de Leon (CCRRLL), Ciudadanos Zamoranos (CCZZ)  Sweden   Sami Proposed autonomous region: Sápmi , Scania Proposed state: Republic of Jamtland Liberation movement: Jamtish Republican Army or JRA Switzerland Internal secessionism  Jura  Turkey Proposed state:  Kurdistan   Ukraine  Crimea   United Kingdom  Cornwall Proposed state:  Cornwall,  England Proposed state:  England Proposed autonomous area:  England,  Gibraltar Proposed state:  Gibraltar,  Guernsey Proposed state:  Guernsey,  Isle of Man Proposed state:  Isle of Man Advocacy groups: Celtic League,  Northern Ireland Proposed state:  Ulster Proposed state:  Ireland Militant organisations: Irish Republican Armies  Advocacy group: Celtic League,  Scotland  Proposed state:  Scotland De facto state:  Sealand,  Wales Proposed state:  Wales, Celtic League,  Wessex Proposed autonomous area:  Wessex Advocacy group: Wessex Constitutional Convention,  Yorkshire Proposed autonomous area:  Yorkshire Advocacy group: Yorkshire Ridings Society

Images that evoke superheroe outfits in a public demonstration downtown Barcelona proclaiming catalonian Independence

blood lost its meaning

In recent years television series, news, art, fashion, books, music, and even children´s toys an games involve blood in the form of joke, vampire, surgery, decoration and even food. Blood stood for year in  mind as an intimate, special and private matter frequently an emergency symbol.

Right now blood is no longer relevant. It doesn´t mean death, war or danger. It became low fat blood.

People see it and laugh and don't care, it does not mean anything any more. it is like seeing water or coca cola, just another red thing, just another liquid. But this makes us unsensitive to suffering, pain, death or sacrifice, makes us indifferent and cold to other people.makes our heart harder.

Blood should mean, should put us in alert, should make us care and it shoulnd´t be a joke.

 In the animal kingom, blood does have a meaning, means danger, food and survival, means death, means pain an means lack of protection.

Maybe we are getting dumb and letting our natural instincts die, we are forgetting about us being alive, we are slowly becoming neutral, gray, flat.

WHY IS THIS?

Keeping my mind clear

And now as if it wasn´t enough in my mind I have to worry abuout keeping it clear from hidden media messages, staying center in a sea o disturbing information that drives me away from the thing I dream and want to achieve.

Observing daily life around me I seee things change and become more complex everytime. I see media putting on my face things I normaly refuse or avoid.

• Blood as an irrelevant presence.
• Violence and cruelty as fun.
• Porn instead of sexuality.
• Conspiracies instead of government.
• A fake ecology.
• Clothes as uniforms.
• Food as poison.
• Poverty and misery instead of progress.

All of them things that put me apart from my real connection with the world and stand between my mind and the universe, like trying to distract me from what is inside me and real.

I ask myself why all this things suddenly appear. Why so many similar things at the same time. Why everything so standard? Has my vision broaden? has my brain woken up from some anaesthesic state?

I see people behaving like automats that don't think for themselves but act a stereotyped dolls, afraid of having an identity and willing to fit in a classification. just following a very predictable path a very obvious life, without expectation, just programmed surprises and fake excitement during their holidays, predictable answers, predictable jokes, predictable reactions,all inside a safezone that lets them stay comfortable and grow their fear of being themselves.

Cultural Sightseeing - Barriers

Why are all human beings so different and can´t just enjoy it? is it that we are all afraid of eachother? or is it that we simply don´t need to care about eachother? is there a real cultural barrier besides language or religion? Or maybe it is just our system trying to put us all apart....

Siting for one hour in a sunny summer afternoon at la Rambla del Raval in Barcelona I could see how tourist would walk their fantasy across that rambla and how the local pakistanis and indians that live in the area would wave to eachother, none of both groups even trying to interact.

Invisible barriers extended to define territory, avoiding my sight, my talk, and even my presence even when sitting right in the middle of the, both tourist and locals. Ten the visible one, clothes, accesories, skin, hair, walk, brands, food, attitude an amazing complexity of silent but powerful conversations took place in front of me continously.

The scapepod? our mobilephone, the best way to stand in the middle of a crowd and pretend not to be there. Check or send messages, to pretend to look busy and cannot look around and if the situation around us is too compromising , then call someone, anyone ...it feels like we get away as we talk..maybe soon that´ll be possible and we could travel trough mobile communications... So the urge for communication with real humans that are not similar or desirable just fades away thanks to virtual humans or answering machines on our mobile phone. If there is none to call there is always internet and the games...to evade situations.

Would be better to talk to anyone, smile to anyone, aproach anyone without fear?
I´d give it a try.

de los borg a los no-org

Acabo de pasar dos semanas de descanso en Estocolmo y Gotenburgo y visitando algunas islas del archipiélago sueco. Ha sido un cambio de aire bastante agradable pero lo complicado ha sido el retorno.

Es claro que ser turista es un estado de conciencia diferente en el que la fantasía y el deseo hacen ver todo color de rosa, sin embargo si se pueden apreciar diferencias culturales abismales entre los dos países.

Cada vez mas España aparece ante mi como una tierra indómita, un sitio de sol, playa, donde la gente va a su aire, disfrutan del comer, beber, follar y la fiesta. Buscan todo el tiempo evadir el trabajo y se centran en los días de fiesta , las bajas laborales, la pausa del café las tres horas de almuerzo y por supuesto las vacaciones de verano. Un lugar donde solo existe el desenfado y la voluntad propia, que para alguien como yo dedicado en cuerpo y alma a construir proyectos es un poco decepcionante. Sin embargo ante los sueco España aparece como un paradise island donde todo es mágico y maravilloso, un lugar a donde huir del exceso de trabajo, el stress y de las obligaciones de su vida diaria y su cultura.

Ahora mi cabeza va de derecha a izquierda como en un match de tenis. de un lado posibilidades de trabajo, dinero y profesionalismo y del otro playa brisa y mar...

El Jardín del Edén antónimo del Estado de Bienestar

Sin ser en lo mas mínimo creyente de ninguna religión en particular la imagen del Jardín de Edén
recurrentemente aparece en mi cabeza desde hace algunos años. Tal vez porque vivir en un primer mundo que permanentemente promete un ¨estado de bienestar¨ me hace pensar en que la abundancia de este bienestar me aporta menos que la simplicidad de aquel jardín del edén.

En la imagen del jardín del edén, estamos desnudos, sin nada ante el mundo, pero al mismo tiempo rodeados de una abundancia que ya no somos capaces de ver. Perdidos en un bosque que no os deja ver los árboles.

En el estado de bienestar, por el contrario, estamos rodeados de carencia, pero atiborrados de cosas. Nuestra mente y nuestro cuerpo son como sacos rotos que hay que intentar llenar para desalojar la angustia, la culpa y la soledad.

Me encuentro a mucha gente con todas sus necesidades cubierta pero con carencias muy fuertes a nivel escencial, espiritual y existencial. seres construidos hacia afuera de si mismo para los cuales su vida no posee un sentido propio sino otorgado y que no son dueños de si mismos. Con una capacidad de adquisición increíble que le hace pensar que la mejor opción es construírse a través de la adquisición y no del autoconocimiento.

Y allí comienzan las tribus urbanas, los coleccionistas, los fans, los imitadores, los participantes de reality shows, los consumidores de modas, los segmentos, los clusters, las comunidades, los clubes, las membresías, las redes sociales y las sectas. Muchas identidades prestadas, muchas preguntas sin responder, muchas vidas en stand by...post puestas.

Será que tantas cosas nos distraen de nosotros mismo y solo nos confunden mas y mas? sera que mucho al final ofrece menos y menos siempre es mas?

Nunca confié en el barroco, siempre tuve la sensación que me perdía de algo y al parecer era de mí mismo.