For athletes, there is nothing more frustrating than injuries, which always come at the wrong time. They interrupt progress and force a break, which, if not respected, tends to aggravate the situation even further. As a result, the athlete often has to deal with the loss of his hard-earned conditioning while resting reluctantly and watching his companions and opponents progress. He thinks about how much effort he will have to make to recover his level and feels completely powerless in the face of physiology, which determines his recovery time. After all, he sees only one choice for full recovery and a return without limitations: to wait. The injury, therefore, teaches him to be patient. If he manages to overcome it, he returns to the sport more mature: more aware, more careful, capable of greater challenges. And it is worth saying the following: intellectual life also has its “injuries.”
Certainly, Poems Such as Salmo I…
Certainly, poems such as Salmo I, La hora de Dios, El buitre de Prometeo, Alborada espiritual, ¡Perdón!, Vencido, Las siete palabras y dos más, or sonnets such as Al destino, Fe, and Resignación are not from Góngora or Lope de Vega. And if, in them, Unamuno showed himself to be “more philosopher than poet,” what, then, is the poetic quality that such verses lack? Or rather: in what sense would the poetic verve of those authors be superior to that of Unamuno? The truth is that, in the aforementioned poems, the expression could not be more vigorous, nor the motivation more authentic. And if that does not place Unamuno in the first echelon of Spanish poets, perhaps it would be convenient to create a new group to include him—and this would be the group of poets whose reading is most meaningful to the reader.
Ortega y Gasset, Antonio Machado, Pío Baroja…
Ortega y Gasset, Antonio Machado, Pío Baroja… Spanish literature has given me some memorable reads. None, however, have provoked in me a feeling similar to what I experienced after coming into contact with Unamuno, who seemed like a family member to me. There are cases like this in literature: a line separates admiration, empathy, and appreciation from this unmistakable feeling of identification. And it is always special to see in an author a member of one’s own species, whose concerns are those intimately felt, whose expression vocalizes something that could be said by oneself. Rare, but when it occurs, it shows that there is no untransmittable individuality; there have always been and always will be others who, through literature, can understand.
“Time Has Passed”
Not everyone is fortunate enough to experience in this life the pedagogical sensation that “time has passed.” This sensation, which varies depending on circumstances, usually points to the consequences of having postponed a decision. However, there are times when it shows very clearly that a decision has indeed been made. This happens to those who, after a certain age, observe their old acquaintances, some of whom were close until just yesterday, and realize that they have all taken a path, accepted what life had to offer, made choices, continued their parents’ work. Few can experience this, for they are precisely those who did not act as expected, transgressing the natural course of life, breaking with the pattern. Then, “time has passed”: one can no longer go back, nor reintegrate into the norm; one has decided without realizing it. And how quickly it all happens! Now, everything becomes very clear, and the fortunate one who experiences it can finally commit to his decision forever.