A society's flight to the past is not a simple orientation.
Over time, it turns into a language, that language establishes identity, and identity begins to write destiny.
And one day, unnoticed, the most dangerous sentence is born:
“This is how we are.”
Innocent at first glance.
It looks like an acceptance.
Sometimes it is even presented as an expression of sincerity, of sincerity.
But in reality, this sentence is the harshest boundary a society draws for itself.
Because this sentence is a euphemism for something else:
“We cannot change.”
HOW IDENTITY IS CONSTRUCTED AND HOW IT IS FROZEN?
Identity is not a destiny given at birth.
It is molded by history, shaped by experience, transformed by time.
But every identity is tested at a threshold.
Especially in times of crisis...
Because change requires risk.
Risk is courage.
Where courage fails, identity stops moving.
And it freezes.
At that moment, identity ceases to be a definition;
becomes a trench, a line of defense.
And the following sentence is written on that line:
“This is how we are.”
It is no longer an observation,
is a refuge.
THE DARK SIDE OF BELONGING
Man cannot live alone.
It needs an “us”.
This need is natural.
But not all that is natural is innocent.
As belonging grows, criticism shrinks.
After a while, people start defending the side, not the truth:
He defends the wrong, because he is “one of us”...
It does not see injustice, because “our people”...
He stops questioning, because “unity must not be broken”...
And so belonging ceases to be a bond;
it becomes a blindness.
“THIS IS HOW WE ARE”: EVADING RESPONSIBILITY
This sentence is often used as an explanation.
But it is actually a closure.
Because as soon as this sentence is uttered, these doors are closed:
The possibility of change,
Grounds for criticism,
And most importantly responsibility.
No one will ask anymore:
“Why are we like this?”
Because this question is dangerous.
It shakes habits.
It disturbs comfort.
It opens up identity itself to discussion.
That is why no questions are asked.
Instead, memorization is repeated:
“This is how we are.”
TRANSFORMING THE PAST INTO IDENTITY
At this stage the past reappears on the scene.
But no longer as a souvenir,
as an element of identity.
The past is the past:
It is not a reference,
a badge of belonging.
People do not defend the past;
They defend themselves on the basis of the past.
So when the past is criticized,
it is not history that is hurt,
it's the identity that gets hurt.
THE DEEPEST FRACTURE: THE SURRENDER OF THE MIND
It is not always external pressure that unravels a society.
The biggest fracture is inside.
If a society:
If he stops questioning,
If he sees change as impossible,
And if he has made it part of his identity...
There is no longer a need for an external power.
Because the mind has already surrendered.
NARRATIVE OF DESTINY THE LAST STOP
“This is how we are” gets heavier over time.
It takes on a more rooted, harsher form:
“We've always been like this.”
And finally:
“We have to be like this.”
At that moment, identity becomes destiny.
Everything seems inevitable.
Everything is told naturally.
Everything is presented as it should be.
But this is not a reality,
is a constructed helplessness.
FACING REALITY IDENTITY CHANGES
The most disturbing but most liberating truth is this:
No society is “like this”.
This is how societies become.
And they can be otherwise if they want.
But first a sentence must be broken:
“This is how we are.”
And it should be replaced by the question:
“Why are we like this and how do we change?”
BELONGING OR PRISON?
Belonging can make you grow.
But when he is not questioned, he imprisons him.
The past can feed you.
But when he is blessed, he stops him.
Identity can lead the way.
But when it freezes, it locks you in.
And what emerged at the end of this whole process is this:
A self-limiting society.
In short: Man exists with his past.
But if he lives only with his past, he will perish.
The greatest courage of a society is not to defend its past, but to transcend itself.
And every change starts with a single sentence:
“It's not ”this is how we are"...
“We don't have to be like this.”
To Be Continued