The other day I wrote that the PSOE (Spanish Socialist Workers' Party) didn't care about the environment, not even a little bit. That, because of that, they had left it to Podemos (a left-wing party in Spain). Now, the socialists have realized that there is something they are very interested in about the environment, the atmosphere. So, investing, which is always what they say this island needs: they invert the terms, and pass the management of the atmosphere in the environment to Ariagona. By the way, a very intelligent measure by "somexone" to devalue her. At this rate, the advertising will be: Come to Lanzarote, the biosphere reserve with the most atmosphere in its environment! We are clarifying the matter somewhat; until now, we had no idea what kind of management they wanted to do with the environment.
Now we know that it is to give it atmosphere. The difference with César (Manrique) and with so many who participated in those other ways of living and feeling the island, is that he used specific spaces, some very deteriorated, and so many other things that would need almost a book. But in a colloquial way, the difference between a creative and sensitive artist gardener with the environment and the culture "written" on that environment and that of infantile brutes who only think about doing business on it. In an urgently clumsy way. Regarding the issue of who has more rights, whether nature or humans, well, it seems to me an absolute mental nonsense. It is impossible for me to imagine anything human that is not nature. The only option is the religious one, that is, that a certain God created the world (nature) and then integrated something different into it (humans). Something that even many atheists have internalized.
Once I was arguing in Órzola with former shearwater hunters (when that was a legal and even necessary activity, you know, proteins and stuff. And poverty). I was talking to them about the right of the shearwaters to live, even more so when their consumption was no longer necessary beyond the pleasure of maintaining a traditional flavor. And the killing. They didn't budge an inch and defended their right to eat them. At one point when I was overwhelmed, I got nervous and blurted out: "It's just that I like to see them fly." And bingo! Everything changed. They looked at me with the utmost seriousness and respect possible, and in some way, satisfied to have taken me to the bottom of the bag, and in unison, they said: Ahhhh, if you like to see them fly, that's another thing!
Following that thread, and so it was, is and will be for a while, the right to hold a rally is not discussed, or whether it bothers the houbara bustards and damages the territory. The right to hold the rally and the pleasure of its fans is discussed, against the right of people "fond" of nature, let's say at its own pace. The houbara bustards have nothing to say in this matter, nor the ruts in the sand, time will swallow all that, including us and our gadgets, including the houbara bustards. It will transmute it, rather.
In the same way that the car would have nothing to say if someone scratched its shiny paint with a tack, or stamped a different advertising label on it than the one sponsoring the thing. Or if someone smashed the windshield with a stone. It doesn't matter if the car is bothered by that or not. What is certain is that the owner would leave the ecologists' anger far behind. After all, for a little scratch on his polished and shiny car. A little scratch, just a little scratch, and possibly two in a hypothetical competition for who makes the straightest and fastest scratch consciously, and there may even be serious injuries.
The car, believe it or not, no matter how much it displeases believers, atheists or not, is nature from its first to its last atom. Just like the minds that imagine it, design it and build it from the first wheel. Then we should take up the issue again and discuss what we do with the least anthropized spaces (which sounds like a trampled den) on the island, and distribute the matter with head, guts and heart. Choose between: the strongest wins or collaborating we all win.
Like it or not, both are natural reactions. Choosing between being and living in peace, or in tension and permanent anger, are also natural options. Ha! It is also a natural option to think that we are something separate from nature.
Look, we don't descend from monkeys, we are descending. And, from what it seems, each one perceives that their path is the correct one. The sensible thing, the truth.
A few days ago, sailing through Alegranza, I was surprised by a small plane that flew very low close to the cliff of the Chapel, meters from the nesting sites, which are there, of Egyptian vultures, falcons and others. It is likely that it has been doing it on the sly for some time (they disconnect the radar tracking devices). There is no surveillance there, and that is probably the reason for the low rate of new Egyptian vulture chicks on the island.
I can imagine the pilot's pleasure flying that way in that place. And I can imagine the pleasure of many pilots, if a competition were made of it. And I can imagine the pleasure of hundreds of fans perched on top of the crater or floating in catamarans with their music and their beers in such a spectacular place, passionately observing the pilots' pirouettes on that monumental cliff, passing meters, or 1 meter, from the fans perched on the volcano. Vibrating to the roar of the engines. I can imagine that this would become a world event, that big brands would sponsor and disseminate the images around the world. I can gild this pill to infinity. It's good for a lot.
Against that and in opposition to that, 'some isolated birds that are not even good for eating'. Many will say.
But it turns out that, for many people, knowing without even seeing, that they are there, is fundamental for their lives. And the day they finally observe one in freedom are moments of ecstasy that are recorded in their being. Whoever has sailed next to a whale spontaneously for the first time will understand. I could also extend myself here to infinity.
In addition, in Lanzarote many of us have a culture or ideology or mania, call it what you want, in which the landscape, just like that, singular, quiet, serene, slow, conejero (from Lanzarote), is a reason for happiness. Like seeing cars run through that landscape for others, no more, no less.
I have seen discussions between surfers and surfers with jet skis when they have to share the same wave. And between people who simply bathe and surfers or windsurfers who enter the bathing areas. Do you follow me?
So this discussion is irresolvable, that's why we invented the categories of land: National Parks, Integral Reserves, Natural Parks, rustic areas of different uses, urban areas, etc. stadiums, circuits, hunting areas, etc.
More bad than good, we were in those. And the pressures towards one or the other, and their uses of space, were part of the different positions of political parties. The PSOE (as a governing party) with all its successes, ambiguities and negligences seemed to have some differences with the right regarding this. (Obviously it is my appreciation). Given its radical change of strategy, it would be convenient for those who are still for the conservation of spaces where life can occur without much human interference, to step forward or they will be defeated for life and perhaps forever, and their lives will be as sterile and inconsequential as that of a Real Madrid or Barca fan who is taken away from football forever. The strategy is simple, it's like singing a goal, it only consists of: "Hey, that's not touched."
In the years to come, we'll see, but now as the thing is, it's just one article, 'that's not touched'. No is no. Does it ring a bell? And in this society, what is touched or not, is decided in parliaments and their legislations. And then in the application of those laws. Or non-application. There it was decided via the Island Plan that the rally could not be done, like some hotels and like so many things in which each of us participate on small scales. But one thing is a compliment and another is a violation. We have scales, it's not the same to steal one euro, 100 than 10,000. By the way, that could have been changed. The plans are not immovable. But they have to be changed. And for that you have to show your face, which is very difficult for those who have a lot of face. (A joke of paradoxes, sorry). Saying that it had been done for years without stopping is very ……… conservative? It sounds very soft to me. By the way, it was the birds who suggested we fly and the cheetahs Formula 1, the bears to have shelter and the bees towns or cities, and the ants, hahaha, NATO. The antics and opulence of houbara bustards and peacocks in their courtship may have something to do with the paraphernalia of the rally.
It is not the tourists who are demanding the atmosphere in the environment, it is the failure of mass tourism on the coast and its derivatives of overpopulation that are leading us to create more and more activities. Atmospheres in the natural environment to be able to include more people in the labor market (given the failure of what was promised on the coast).
And new business ventures. It is the failure of those who now stand in front to show us once again the new path.
But as we are doing it, we are going to end up bursting that environment just like the coastal one. We are selling ourselves. And that is why we advertise the new activities and environments in nature with so much care. And, in addition, with the same skills that led us to build illegal hotels with public money for the enjoyment of favored businessmen, quality tourists (ha!) of money. And the workers who managed to sneak into the matter.
And I don't think it's worth thinking that this is the natural trend at the level of world tourism. Thinking that way would contradict the vision of Lanzarote as a singularity.
In short, all I ask is, could you leave Alegranza, Montaña Clara and Los Roques, Timanfaya, out of that movement? And other spaces such as La Graciosa, Tenegüime, Famara and its Riscos and its jables, Ajaches, etc. Treat them better than ourselves?
Years ago I accompanied the president of the Italian ornithologists' organization LIPU or something like that to Alegranza, they were very many of its members, someone was trying to make tourist use of that possibility. I thought it was good to observe what the thing was about and I agreed to accompany him; he freaked out with what he saw flying there, he asked me about the management of the islet and its surveillance, etc., it was certainly far superior to that of today. The Cabildo (Island Council) did not have it yet. Even so, he was an honest guy and thought it would be a catastrophe to make ecological tourist use of that in those conditions, no matter how much those who would come were people with environmental awareness, (pay attention to that data).
So when I say that the PSOE is passing on the environment, what I am really saying is that it is passing on the meaning that was given to environmental legislation. So that right now they are more for using the Land Law that they criticized so much to the previous government, than a minimum of fidelity to what they legislated at the time, and to the tall tales they tell us.
This, I say it with the same tone that we call the attention of colleagues when we go too far. 'Don't be a jerk, you're going to ruin everything we know you want'. More or less, said to its affiliates and voters, among whom I have so many friends, and something more than acquaintances.
I think the mistake has always been to think that those who got rich with tourism-construction are the ones who know the most about tourism. And they are not happier than you, I assure you. Nor do they know more about anything than you, I also assure you. The only difference with you is that when everything is over they have how and where to go. Although as always, they don't know what for. And the lack of scruples as to how to make money or how to manipulate information.
Now it seems, I am told that some of those are coming from another country here to continue with their millionaire things, to capitalize the rich here (high society peace) which is another level than that of social peace, while their dispossessed countrymen are left behind.
In the end, societies are games of tensions between their different layers and ways of understanding life. Tensions between the different layers to which life has led its members. And in recent times, tensions between how men and women relate, and both with what we say is out there, nature.
These last two, authentic revolutions, which will undoubtedly need the effort of the maximum number of revolutionaries. Because I also believe that by rebound they could greatly diminish the power of abusers. Look now what it costs in Lanzarote to accept this as simple as guarding spaces what so many years ago was formulated with the National Parks.
I'm not telling you if we start talking about the underlying issues related to climate, pollution or the mass extinction of species. Those that are more complex to deal with, the PSOE does like to talk about, you know sustainability and sustainability and blah, blah, blah; where they know they are not going to have or be able to do anything. But it's cool.
I'm talking about the island. I specify.
History, are just stories that are told of the past. It is not the past, just stories that are told.
