Alan Fortuny Sicart

Many of us are richer, healthier and maybe happier than previous generations. Despite the increases on stress, inequality, anxiety and isolation, our little world can become a better place, with the right actions and some luck. That means, that we are more prosperous now than we were in the past. Prosperity and material safety (not abundance) is important for freedom and long term thinking. Setting a family, working on a legacy or topics that matter, considering our priorities in life are only a luxury for those who have the resources and time, not to worry excessively about what to eat tomorrow. It is no surprise that the richer could invest more in climate shock adaptions, health crisis, educaction, and social programs in general. There is a bigger buffer, so more resources can be on investment than in consumption. It is a choice, and not destiny, that richer nations can become healthier, equal, sustainable and inclusive. That means, that the best pace to ensure that most humanity i

Discussions and debates about global warming are on the rise, or were before the Corona crisis make the important less urgent. While I am satisfied of the scientific coverage of the dangers of global warming, peak everthing and antropecene (in summary, all the destruction that is the result of our development model), I found myself quite helpless to know what should I do to play a stronger role in being the change I would like to see. How can we  improve our relationship with the Earth and make the future exciting and not terrifying?   Let me review the different points of view and its flaws. Bare with me, most of the post will be about what can you do. I would start by those who said: "you pay enough taxes or even better, you cannot make a difference" That is the first and maybe last mention I make to that statements. The story of disconnection is clearly part of the problem. Only we we can recognize how much connected we are, we know that we can make a huge impact on our en

With problems with exponential nature (their gravity accelerates with time) like global warming and corona crisis, there are typically two behaviours. One is the hollistic one, which looks at the source at the problem and find solutions that are structural . The other type, I would called the reactionist , see problems in isolation, and focus on fixing the symptons, allegating some sort of false urgency that never gives space to proper long term thinking . If you are a hollistic person, probably you would try to understand the nature of global warming and how our model of development affects it . You would understand that there are more KPI's that CO2emissions, like soil health, biodiversity, water availability, food security, energy security, inequality, climate justice, that we need to cover in order to fix the crisis, which is broader that emitting a gas,  as it really goes deep on how we treat earth, and how we define prosperity.  I am currently reading the latest book of the

Football is somehow the monopoly of games for kids, at least before the phones conquer vastly the playgrounds. It is an intensive and fun game. But is also brutal. We normally soften its nature by calling it a sport of contact, which means that sooner or later you are going to be hit by someone. I never master the game, but I owe a lot of friends and great moments to such a competitive way to spend our free time. Sport is everywhere in the media, but it gives normally a very limited picture. It's importance should not be understimated, as its power to close societal gaps, cultural differences, health issues and reconnect with life is very powerful.  In my case, is not an exaggeration to say that my life could not be complete without it, and is such a wonderful source of positivity and energy. Sport change your body, but also if done properly can make you a better person. I hope more people could experience the benefits, and also that some that already are very sporty would approach

Most people I know smile when they think about infancy periods and have nice words to the family and friends that were part of such special period. Even those who had troubled infancies found mentors that significantly improve their lives, in a unconditional and generous way. In short, we all are experiencing, in different amounts what to receive love means.  Despite this, when we grow up, we are not clear what can we give for gratitute, or how can we express our gifts, if we even have at all.  We grow and learn the norms and behaviors to navigate through society, but we spent little time exploring our gifts. Our classes are standardized in their content, and heavily rely on memory and some type of intelligences, leaving many dimensions of the human condition untouched, archived or even worse denied as valuable.  As generations pass by, we suffer the education inflation, where more and more titles are required for being employable, a luxury condition in the age of automation. We look d

When I was a child, the few hectares of forest and olive trees seemed an immense playground that looked too far to be crossed. An immensity of insects, plants, old trees and fast rabbits were my playground. A place where I can play any superhero and pretend to live on the trees. Hundreds of hours spent, under the heat of long summers and short winters, where time was abundant , and the sun was moving slow, almost hard to perceive . I got a great childhood, not a perfect one, but full of freedom and chances to discover this world. One that I felt was growing, although somehow I managed to catch up with. It was never perfect, but it was full of family, friends, time and welcomed solitude . It is funny how some details are crystal clear, like my grandpa opening the door or my grandma bringing gorgeous dishes to the table. Those times make one aware, that happiness is subtle, and we normally realised that we were happy, only years or even decades later. I am not sure how much impor