There are moments in history when fear seems to be in people’s eyes and minds. Every generation faces its own turning point. Ours is now about deciding what we will do in the face of polarization and fear.
When fear takes hold, it has a corrosive effect because it erodes our capacity to trust, to listen, and also to resist without becoming what we fear. Have we lived through moments like these before? What did we do then? In Latin America and the Caribbean, we are no strangers to such moments.
We have a great deal of experience with the various bullies of past times. For a long time, several countries in our region endured interventions, dictatorships, and terrible violence that produced deep fractures.
Those experiences left us with wounds and trauma. Some countries have managed to build and enjoy democracy and peace, for other countries the path has been longer, with all the suffering that this entails. Even for countries who have achieved democracy, it has not been easy, because the challenges do not disappear. Yet it is possible to speak honestly with one another, and although it sometimes costs, we can listen to each other even when we disagree.
Without trust, institutions do not function and communities fragment and drift apart. A society dominated by fear may survive for a time, but it will struggle to repair its wounds or solve problems that require broad collaboration.
Remaining trapped in fear is not part of our culture; rather, we persist in hope. In Latin America and the Caribbean, we are more than 660 million people, and we have much to tell. We are a voice that can contribute something very important in this new and challenging regional and global landscape. When fear is used as a political tool, we cannot give in; we must resist. Because fear simplifies reality, divides societies into irreconcilable camps, and presents force, symbolic or real, as the only possible response.
Fear cannot be the only compass for finding the path toward the future. History shows us that things begin to change when we look fear in the face. Peaceful resistance is not only a personal attitude, but a civic necessity. It is a disciplined decision to defend democracy, dignity, and coexistence without succumbing to the logic of dehumanization. Resisting the dynamics imposed by fear requires clarity, patience, and courage. It means refusing to let anger or despair shape our actions, and also refusing to remain silent in the face of abuses and humiliations.
This kind of peaceful resistance is built on trust. Trust allows us to build when possible, and to disagree when necessary. Trust is not an abstract value, but a form of critical infrastructure, because just as bridges and roads allow us to connect, trust makes democratic coexistence possible. Without trust, institutions do not function and communities fragment and drift apart. A society dominated by fear may survive for a time, but it will struggle to repair its wounds or solve problems that require broad collaboration.
Dialogue is a space in which people can bring the complexity of their realities, where they can be heard without humiliation, and recognized by one another. Dialogue may not eliminate conflicts, but it does prevent them from turning into impenetrable walls. It can take time and sometimes be uncomfortable, but dialogue is one of the few tools capable of rebuilding relationships among divided peoples.
We can begin with simple steps, for example by creating and caring for meeting points where disagreement does not destroy coexistence; by strengthening critical thinking, avoiding the replication of false news, seeking sources, and rejecting the language of hate.
Where to begin? First, by recognizing that we can create spaces to listen to what is happening to us. Who must act? This is a task for everyone, because it is both a personal decision and a cultural challenge. We cannot delegate the defence of democracy. And although there is no exact recipe to transform a society weighed down by old and new fears, there are things that can be done.
We can begin with simple steps, for example by creating and caring for meeting points where disagreement does not destroy coexistence; by strengthening critical thinking, avoiding the replication of false news, seeking sources, and rejecting the language of hate; and by rebuilding civic friendships that allow us to recognize one another as part of the same democratic space, even when we think differently.
When trust is broken, it is natural to feel pain and uncertainty. The times we live in give us more than enough reason for such feelings. Pain affects us, but if we nurture our communities and a sense of purpose, it should not paralyze us. We are not available to live in fear. That is the first line of our defence of our democracy.
Translation of the original article, as published in El País:
http://elpais.com/chile/2026-01-10/resistir-en-tiempos-del-miedo.html RESISTING