We have not forgotten what it means to listen. We can still do it. But more and more, the act of listening loses nuances to become uncomfortably waiting for a turn before speaking. With another added problem: if someone refutes our ideas, our entire response will be, with high probability, to close ourselves more in our approach.
What has been a dialogue of the deaf for this bitter Catalan conflict. Perhaps the voices of authorized people, why not say it: EQUIDISTANTS can be more useful than ever. An equidistance term that is not as perverse as they want us to think. White, black or it is never the solution.
Summary: Four Catalans of marked personality, different political signs and recognized public influence take the floor in this book. Before those who only see the clash or, in the best of cases, the raging debate possible, Josep Borrell, Francesc de Carreras, Juan-José López Burniol and Josep Piqué —who have borrowed the first verse of the well-known ode for the title. by Joan Maragall— they bet on listening to the adversary, convincing, finding ways of understanding and agreement rather than continuing as we are, in an exhausting loop of mutual tension and mistrust.
With serenity and a constructive spirit, and in the face of the tense territorial debate in Spain, his is a reasoned and documented bet to open a fruitful channel to the will for dialogue and reunion of the majority of Spaniards, including many Catalans. The underlying message is clear: secession is not the answer to the disagreement that has starred, almost monopolized, the political scene in Catalonia in recent years. At this point, betting on understanding and rejecting secession as inevitable may be a challenge that seems almost impossible, but, for the authors of this book, with political will, even broken bridges can be rebuilt.
You can now buy the book Listen, Catalonia. Listen to Spain, the authors' new book Josep Borrell, Francesc de Carreras, Juan José López Burniol and Josep Piqué, here: