It is perhaps not an exaggeration to say that one of the main problems facing our societies is the presence, in the public sphere, of an unusually high number of pyromaniacs. That is, we see politicians, social leaders, intellectuals, journalists and celebrities of all kinds who, while coming to the table from very diverse ideologies, nevertheless have in common a strong tendency to provoke fires. They seem to thrive igniting the debate with their outbursts, with their insults, by appealing to emotions rather than to reason, and with their Manichean approaches to complex issues.
It is no secret that we are going through profound changes in the world. Geopolitical equilibriums that only a few years ago seemed stable today appear to be crumbling, and we really do not know how the world will look five or ten years from now. It is legitimate to ask ourselves, for example, if the authoritarian and populist wave that sweeps the West today (and which is in itself, without a doubt, the result of the uncertainties that entire countries experience regarding their future, their economies, their security, and the permanence of their traditional values) is a passing nightmare that Western democracies will be able to tame, or else the dawn of a new era in which democratic values that today we take for granted will be compromised. Post-truth, is it a transitory fever, or is it here to stay? The new xenophobia that prominent politicians show on both sides of the Atlantic, is it ephemeral or will it take root in the sensibilities of the populations of the future?
We do not know. What seems quite evident is that, faced with the unpredictability of the present, the last thing we need is the surplus of arsonists that seems to populate our governments, media and social networks. A world in deep transformation requires serenity, not more fires.
The pyromania of so many leaders does nothing but increase the anxiety that today many people would experience anyway, because it is true that we live uncertain times —although they are probably less uncertain than the inflammatory rhetoric of these leaders suggests.
In fact, it’s not the first time something like this has happened. History teaches that every turbulent era has seen the emergence of characters such as the ones we are describing here: opportunistic pyromaniacs who simply see the possibility of fishing in turbulent waters. To fish what? Fame, and especially, power. This quest is, in the end, what moves them, and the strategy they use to achieve their goals could not be simpler: they describe a world in flames, they contribute to spreading the fire, and then they present themselves as those who can put out the inferno. In fact, as the only ones who can do it. The amazing part, of course, is that the trick, so obvious and old, continues to work for many of them.
Let us insist on something that we have already underlined in this blog on other occasions. Although the incendiary voices may sometimes be attractive and appealing, what we really need are voices that instead of polarizing may create consensus, that instead of bringing everybody to the brink of panic may know how to calm down those who hear them. We need voices that, instead of painting things in one single color, may be nuanced, that instead of lying —assuring us that they have simple solutions to the challenges that surround us— may have the honesty to recognize the complexity of today’s world, and the intelligence to mold it in a way that benefits the common good. Only such voices will help us to face the uncertain future that lies ahead.
