This blog post was originally written in Spanish. To read the original post, you can change the language of the website to Spanish in the top right corner.
In Latin America, we have a saying that we often use when we make mistakes or when things aren't going so well: LA PRACTICA HACE AL MAESTRO (Practice makes perfect). This means that the more we practice and make mistakes, the better and more experienced we become in an activity or practice.
But why not practice more to become better people and better neighbors, and to fight for our countries to have a better quality of life and be more dignified for everyone?
Today I'm reminded of how valuable it is to never tire of doing good, but what does it actually mean to do good? From my perspective, it means being a good neighbor, a good friend, a person who respects the lives, decisions, and opinions of others and fights against the injustices of the capitalist system, which has taught us to think only of ourselves and to pursue an absurd idea of competition in order to have better opportunities.
The world is currently in a constant social upheaval: absurd wars fueled by bloodlust and lust for power, a televised genocide in the Gaza Strip in Palestine that we can see on social media, corrupt politicians in power, rampant violence against women and LGBTIQ+ people, indigenous peoples deprived of their rights and completely excluded from spheres of power, zero environmental awareness and extreme poverty, with an estimated 100 million people worldwide living on $1,90 a day or less, according to BBVA¹.
And what can we do from our point of view? The answer is complex and full of challenges, but it's always a good time to start changing our ideas and, consequently, our actions.
It's important to start from the perspective of the community and to be part of it, because only then can we understand how complex it is for some people to live and have a good quality of life. I found a fitting definition of community spirit by Sarason, McMillan, and Chavis.: The feeling of being part of a group, a shared sense that collective needs are met through a cooperative commitment from all membersr must be fulfilled².
If respect for the freedoms of others and doing good are our anchors on our journey through this world, it will be easier to approach the good life and the much-needed peace. The world must move from the Global South, where the social deficiencies and problems are immeasurable. Multilateralism is in grave danger because Trump has publicly stated his rejection of global institutions and international cooperation, and there is a marked tendency to avoid building further relationships between countries. We must change the notion that the Global South can only change and achieve better living conditions through meetings and political decisions in the Global North or by writing blogs about what is happening in the South. In Europe and the United States, a cold idea has been sold from every perspective: volunteering in African and Latin American countries with the slogan of changing people's lives for three weeks. Yet we all know that changing the profound and harsh realities of the South is a task that requires, first and foremost, acknowledging what is happening and, therefore, urgent action in the Global North.
Challenging power and control structures by citizens in both the Global South and the Global North is necessary to bring about change for future generations. The violence emanating from the Global North is embedded in the enormous inequalities and ongoing exploitation of the Global South, not to mention that it is the Global North that controls the information networks and, of course, the narratives and discourses of the wealthy and privileged. And this is to say nothing of the environmental issue, as the North's debt grows daily. The Global North must change now and abandon the narrative it continues to propagate about its supposed and false good life, often confused with the good life of indigenous peoples. The countries of the Global North must stop giving instructions to the countries of the South and instead take real action. The structure must fall. The structure must change from within.
Sources:
1 World Bank press release (September 2018).
2 Maya-Jariego, Isidro (2024) “Sense of community and participation”. https://www.communitypsychology.com/sentido-de-comunidad-y-participacion/ (06.10.2025)
https://www.elpais.cr/2024/09/25/de-que-trata-la-idea-de-un-norte-y-un-sur-global
