#Monomad Challenge - Diplomacy.

Good afternoon, #Monomad friends

Here is my entry for the #monomad contest by @brumest and @monochromes.

Diplomacy.

Last weekend, I visited a cultural center housed in a restored historic palace that now hosts various free cultural events—though registration is required—which have become one of my favorite weekend activities. Also this past weekend, a play about the April 25 Revolution and the dictatorship was performed there.

It is striking to realize that the times we saw “shaken” and rendered virtually nonexistent—or at best, residual—more than 52 years ago are now taking on an increasingly prominent role. There is even representation in the Assembly of the Republic by a recently formed party with more conservative, even somewhat radical, right-wing ideals.

In recent years, we have seen a growing disinterest in politics among young people in Portugal. There is certainly a discrediting of the political class, obviously influenced by some residual but highly relevant cases of dishonesty and fraud.

We cannot allow populist rhetoric to take root within our societies, for such rhetoric—which preys on fears and generalizes and stereotypes deviant behavior—leads to its constant and increasingly significant influence. Today, they already have enough members of parliament to be the third-largest political force in the Portuguese legislature.

Diplomacy is a hallmark of democratic societies, yet it is increasingly neglected. These days, little attention is paid to the need for diplomacy; people jump straight to hate speech and aggression, failing to consider the immediate consequences that arise when we deny space to others and to dialogue and compromise.

During my visit to the Palácio do Alegrete, I saw a metal sculpture in which the distance between the two parts is always equal. There is a gap between the two lines, and a zigzag pattern that represents the conversations and needs that must be met so that the common good of both sides—and sometimes more than just two sides—prevails, and confrontation is avoided.

Nowadays, however, it seems that people are quicker to go on the offensive, and only after the rift has been created do they attempt to reconcile with the other side.