Fernando Hoces de Guardia

La muerte de la madre en un accidente obliga a sus hijos a regresar al país de origen después de años de exilio para que sus cenizas descansen en las profundidades del río Mapocho. La Rucia deambula con su madre a cuestas por una ciudad apenas reconocible: son confusos los recuerdos de la infancia y demasiadas las preguntas que quedaron sin respuesta. Intenta reencontrarse con el Indio, su hermano, con una única coordenada: el trasero de una virgen que los condena a permanecer de un lado de la ciudad, a repetir siempre la misma historia de miseria y abandono.

Lately, the most passionate advocates of the theory of evolution seem to present it as bad news. Scientists such as Richard Dawkins, Lawrence Krauss, and Sam Harris tell us that our most intimate actions, thoughts, and values are mere byproducts of thousands of generations of mindless adaptation. We are just one species among multitudes and therefore no more significant than any other living creature. Now comes Brown University biologist Kenneth R. Miller to make the case that this view betrays a gross misunderstanding of evolution.

Research polls, media interviews, and everyday conversations reveal an unsettling truth: citizens, while well-meaning and even passionate about current affairs, appear to know very little about politics. Hundreds of surveys document vast numbers of citizens answering even basic questions about government incorrectly. Given this unfortunate state of affairs, it is not surprising that more knowledgeable people often deride the public for its ignorance.

We are stuck, stymied, frustrated. But it needn't be this way. There is a formula for success that's been followed by the icons of history - from John D. Rockefeller to Amelia Earhart to Ulysses S. Grant to Steve Jobs - a formula that let them turn obstacles into opportunities. Faced with impossible situations, they found the astounding triumphs we all seek.