So what if we think differently?

Immersed in this deeply unjust society, where few are aware of the country’s reality, the vast majority of people find themselves engaged in exhausting debates about social and political realities without ever reaching a consensus.

Colombian society has been polarized ever since it became an independent nation in 1819—the year New Granada truly gained its independence. The cry for independence was heard in 1810. Not many people know that a rivalry developed between Santander and Bolívar, and from that moment on, Colombia was politically split in two; for practically the entire 19th century and part of the 20th, the country was governed by Liberals and Conservatives. These are historical facts that must be stated—no one is making them up.

The constitution preceding the one of 1991 was that of 1886; we lived under the same constitution for more than a hundred years—one that was quite different from the current one—but we’re still deeply influenced by the mindset of the previous regime.

Let’s look at it from this other perspective: It took Russia more than 70 years to realize that the socialist model wasn’t working (it converted to capitalism), and even though 29 years have passed, the aftermath of its former ideology still persists. So, it should come as no surprise that we have such a divided history and that so many people today are pulling in their own direction, given that problems related to “people’s inability to recognize others’ differences”—which affect us as well—exist all over the world, and when I say “us,” I’m referring to Latin Americans.

We, as people, find it hard to acknowledge that others think differently. No two perspectives on life are the same because, quite simply, we all have different problems, different families, different stories, different backgrounds, and many other differences.

There are different races, but only one Latin American culture; we may be white, Black, mixed-race, Colombian, Venezuelan, Puerto Rican, Dominican, or Brazilian, but we all enjoy music like salsa, merengue, bachata, tango, cumbia, and bossa nova equally.

Simón Bolívar was obsessed with unifying the Latin American people into one great America, and he died believing that his death would serve to unify the people. It’s hard to talk about what’s already been lost. We think of ourselves as gringos (or, in other cases, British); our lives revolve around choosing between eating at Subway or McDonald’s, between getting a coffee at Starbucks or going to see a Marvel superhero movie, taking photos of absolutely everything and posting them on social media—and those things aren’t really bad in and of themselves. What is truly wrong, however, is turning our backs on the reality we live in—and it is society itself that leads us to do so.

A street performer who does “conscious rap” gets on public transportation in the city, and some people are wearing headphones, others are texting or scrolling through social media, while still others are actually paying attention, and so on. It shocks us when they tell us how bad things are, but the same goes even when Venezuelans, beggars, and street vendors get on.

We are deeply divided. Currently, as many as 17 political parties have registered for the upcoming 2018–2022 presidential elections! We must use one another as mirrors—not to see our similarities, but to recognize the differences in one another. That way, we’ll stop criticizing those around us—how they dress and what ideology they hold—since these aren’t necessarily mutually exclusive; in fact, there may be areas where they complement each other.

I brought up the 1991 Constitution at the beginning because it was the result of a group of students from public and private universities who drafted the “Seventh Ballot” proposal. We must disconnect from the false reality presented to us by other cultures and empower ourselves with all the potential we possess.

All of this changes if we recognize that doctors, economists, politicians, engineers, philosophers, sociologists, journalists, biologists, and those in other fields (not necessarily professional ones) who make up the roles in this society each have a unique perspective on reality—and that each of these perspectives has much to contribute to the others. A broader perspective on reality would help us understand how to address each of the country’s various challenges effectively and thoughtfully.