“However, it moves” is the phrase that Galileo Galilei uttered, forced by the Inquisition to deny that the earth revolves around the sun. I bring this commonplace to mind because it applies to Guatemala today, where despite the persecution and murder of defenders of rights and territories, it has not been possible to eliminate the most powerful force that drives us to demand justice: the common desire of wellness.
History is cyclical like a capricious spiral that doesn’t always go forward. What we are experiencing these days is a painful fall. We stumbled, but perhaps now we are taking the steps backwards that precede great breakthroughs. To achieve collective well-being and social peace, the basic needs of all people must be satisfied. Those are the ideas and proposals that the powerful reject because they affect their interests. We and many people want Guatemala to be a place where living with dignity is not an unattainable privilege. Although at times we feel that we are falling into the abyss created by corruption, it is necessary to hold on tightly to dignity like the shipwrecked man to the log. Let us remember that no matter how long a dictatorship lasts, there will always be a people that will overthrow it. The defense of our freedoms is the foundation of Dignity
