Regardless of the actual date when the Age of Aquarius begins or ends, the song Aquarius from the Musical “Hair” presents what, I believe, was the feeling of the sixties’ generation worldwide. Figuratively, the sixties stood for the dawning of the Aquarian age, a time of abounding harmony, understanding, sympathy and trust; the end of falsehoods and derisions and (of course) the mind’s true liberation. I guess is safe to agree that it did not happen quite that way.
What went wrong? What happened to the winds of change here and elsewhere? Where are the dreamers now? On first sight, it would seem like they were either silenced (killed or disappeared), assimilated (grew old) or they simply moved to Tepoztlan, San Miguel de Allende or San Francisco.
In Mexico, as it happened elsewhere, the establishment repressed these movements. The massacre of Tlatelolco on October 2, 1968, brought to a sudden and brutal halt these dreams of a better country and ultimately a better world. In many ways, our country is still suffering the effects of that tragic day.
However, that was forty years ago. What about the present generation? What are their ideals? How are they trying to change the world? Where are the successors of the dreamers of the sixties?
Not long ago a read somewhere that the current generation is exhausted. Although I hope such assessment is at least exaggerated, it is not difficult to argue that the youth are being forced to face changes happening too rapidly all around. Overwhelmed by an ever present media (TV 24×7, Internet, blogging, text messaging, etc.), tired of running in the rat race, forced to give up ideals and balance in their lives because the competition is hard and the jobs few, having rock and movie stars as examples, used to corruption as a way of solving problems, trapped in consumerism, relativity, lack of solid role models and without ideals worth fighting for. In short, a wandering and confused generation. Where does that leave us as a whole?
Please do not get me wrong. I know that in many ways we are better now that we were forty years ago. I know and love the progeny of the sixties, the women and LGBT movements, the social and human rights reforms, sexual liberation, the re-discovery and vindication of ancient wisdom and traditions from all around the world, etc. Yes, in many ways the sixties flourished in our time, but –unfortunately– in many others it things appear to be worse. Just think about the increase in violence, corruption, wars, drug consumption, starvation, loneliness, depression, suicidality, pornography, impunity, etc. It saddens me to think that those students at Tlatelolco may have died in vain.
But did they?
Carlos Monsivais in a beautiful essay, recently talked about Tlatelolco as an “inheritance looking for heirs” Aren’t we (old and young) the heirs of those martyrs? Aren’t we enjoying the fruits of their sacrifice? If so, what should be our role? What can we do, not just to honor those who fell, not just to give voice to those who cannot talk (not only the dead, but also the destituted, the marginalized, the discriminated), but also to make ours a better city, a better nation and a better world? How can we, the perhaps unwilling or unaware but inescapably heirs of such legacy are to behave? In all honesty, I do not know (if you do, please let me know) but I am willing to adventure some ideas.
Let us become aware of ourselves. Let’s work on accepting, loving and developing ourselves as the best recipe for happiness (and a happy person makes the world a happier place). The journey of self-discovery is never easy, but always fulfilling. Moreover, I cannot be truly happy when the person next to me is hungry, ill or simply unhappy (I may choose to ignore him/her, but deep inside I’ll always know). In contrast, when I am happy (in the broadest and deepest sense the word can have) I simply cannot harm or ignore others, because I become aware that my happiness is directly connected to that of everyone else.
Let us become aware of our history. Not just to write eulogies but to really understand the human condition. Someone said, “There is nothing new under the sun” and in a way it is true. Our present struggles, our sorrow, our joys, our hopes and our dreams are the same that those of the men and women that came before us. Let us remember them, learn from their experiences, from their mistakes, from their sacrifice, and continue what they began, what they accomplished.
Let us become aware of our potential… (And use it!). Let us be active. Activism means acting. Exercise your body, mind, and spirit. Yes protest, manifest and march when is needed, but also organize, volunteer, write letters, teach what you know, share what you have, help those you can, get involved, form groups. Become the change you want to see in the world.
Of course, these are but a few ideas, much more can and should be done. Still, I believe that putting these ideas into practice would be a beautiful way of honoring the sacrifice of those tombless students at Tlatelolco. To make clear that their dreams are not dead, that there are still dreamers (both the young and the not so young) and that we have become savvy. We have learned that change does not come from upside down but from downside up. Than even if –as John Lennon once said– flower power did not work, even if “they” (and let us remember there is no “they” but only “us”) killed all those students, “so what? We start again”.
As I finish writing this, I realize that title is all wrong. Tlatelolco does not represent the dusk of the Age of Aquarius; those students did not die in vain. The age of Aquarius has had a very long and painful dawning in Mexico and worldwide, one that has included a lot of darkness, pain and blood, one that is not over yet; but maybe, just maybe (and of this I find evidence almost every day) it is true that it is always darkest before the dawn.
