The society of noise and confusion

It is difficult to understand President Gustavo Petro. Because of what he says, which he later says he didn’t say, because of many decisions he makes and because in his speech he talks about national agreements and the politics of love, while on a day-to-day basis he contributes to spreading rage and promoting confusion. He is not the only one who does it and that is a major problem in a country with many problems: leadership has lost assertiveness and today it is difficult to keep track of public affairs in the midst of superfluous debates.

With very few exceptions, they contribute to the confusion that many leaders from different sectors experience today. Some because they are committed to defending the Government and overlooking its mistakes and the crimes of some officials, others because they want to say that Colombia is worse than ever, when this has always been a country that survives on the edge of everything. Corruption, war, death, inefficiency, state failure, inequality. All of this is part of history, as is the search for relief, improvements, achievements, small or large triumphs over the always infinite problems. Noise, however, does not allow us to understand history, nor the context, nor the present, nor where we come from or where we are going.

Some of those who proclaim themselves “experts” when the topic is put on the table contribute to the noise. They launch theories that they want to turn into truths with adjectives. Real experts often take time to digest and understand the debates, proposals and ideas in order to give their opinion. We must doubt those who are ready to lecture on everything.

To increase the confusion, and contrary to their fundamental task, which is to tell us what is happening, sticking as closely as possible to the facts and their context, some media outlets have also decided to go beyond their task to become “actors in the conflict.” ” political. Everyone, the president, the opponents, the opinion makers who fuel verbal battles, argue in one way or another that they do what they do to save or defend the country, the people or the homeland (choose the word that suits you best).

While confusion reigns, there is a society that tries to move forward in the midst of daily difficulties and challenges. They are the people who pay for the damage that leaders throw at each other on social media accounts and in media eager for hot debates. Generate noise, make waves, let them speak well or badly but let them speak. The confusion prevents us from clearly understanding what the country’s great challenges are really about and what the proposals are for moving forward. It is the society of noise, confusion and the reign of perception that does not always reflect what is happening.

With real, fictitious, manipulated data, taken out of context or created by Artificial Intelligence, this confusion generates political events that impact the real lives of the people who are affected because it is almost impossible to solve problems. It seems that it is no business for leaders to reach minimum agreements in the difference. At the end of the day all wars, armed and political, verbal and emotional, are all profitable for someone. The famous CVY, “How I Go”, of corrupt hiring has become a philosophy of life embedded in the work of many. It is not only the common and widespread practice of collecting bribes in public contracts, it is trying to take advantage at every step and at whatever cost. How do I benefit from the confusion and noise? That’s what counts.

So much noise and confusion hits the most valuable thing that a society has to exist: trust. If the constant rumor is that “Something very serious is going to happen in this town”, as in the famous story told by Gabo[1]Finally in this town something ends up happening. Today there is doubt about the Government, Congress, banks, private companies, unions, political parties, the media, control organizations, institutions, all to a greater or lesser degree. In many cases there are reasons to doubt, but it is always advisable to differentiate between the people who are in charge and what the institutions themselves mean that support the scaffolding in which we all live. Constantly fueling distrust undermines the economy, paralyzes social processes, has a social and emotional impact, and affects decision-making. Nobody wins, even if they believe otherwise.

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