Are We Losing Our Next Generation?

I will build my answer to this question from three articles published in this same newspaper. The first is by Luis Vicente León, “Why Did My Friends Leave?”, whose subtitle was “The next generation is practically lost.” The second is by the journalist Soledad Morillo Belloso, “Leaving Never to Return?” And the third is the one I wrote, “To the Young People Who Are Leaving,” for which I received more than 100 personal emails from Venezuelans in many parts of the world (Germany, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Ecuador, Spain, Ethiopia, Italy, Mexico, Panama, Peru, the United States and elsewhere).

First of all: what statistics did Luis Vicente base his claim on that “the next generation is practically lost”? It is true, and I don’t deny it, that a great many very valuable young people have left (and not out of comfort or because all they care about is earning huge salaries; they are far deeper than one might imagine). But there are also many young people who cannot leave and who are giving it everything they’ve got, each fighting for what they believe is best for their country (or don’t you see them day and night, night and day, in ALL the media?).

And there are others who, though they have the means to leave, do not. Some suspicious minds will immediately say they stay because they are doing big business. Not at all. In Venezuela there is a generation that has decided to stay here (even if crime kills them or they are kidnapped again) because they know their mission is here. Though some may not believe it, these Venezuelans are not interested in the scholarships they could get abroad (and they are excellent students, too). Many of them are children or grandchildren of immigrants and understand, like the parents and grandparents who taught them to fight, that Venezuela’s future is in their hands, and that whatever may come, however hard, does not frighten them.

As for whether the young people who have left can be won back, I can only tell you about the many messages they sent me from every corner of the planet. Those who wrote to me showed that we Venezuelans are truly unique, that we love our country immensely, and that over there they are fulfilling the mission that is theirs at this moment, in many cases sowing values that have almost disappeared in some “developed” countries. Many of those who wrote (and told me they cried over my lines) know that I cried over theirs too, because in the end their message was that they wanted to be here, and that many are willing to come back when things improve; and for that to happen they are counting on those who stay.

And to those wonderful Venezuelans I say that YES, there is a Great next generation here they can count on, including (though Luis Vicente may not believe it) hundreds of outstanding doctors whom I would love to name one by one. I also have my list of people who keep investing Here (despite the problems) and who live Here with their whole families. Not to mention some politicians who are giving their all Here, exemplary journalists, dedicated teachers, outstanding athletes, incomparable musicians, scientists and more.

The final answer is: Yes, there is a Great next generation in Venezuela! It was for them that I wrote “To the Young People Who Are Staying,” together with their parents and grandparents, who have not thrown in the towel and have no intention of doing so. That Great generation that Is Here, fighting for a better country, at Peace, for EVERYONE. You already know how I ended my article about the young people who are leaving, much as Soledad Morillo ends hers: “the 2012 elections are not just important, they are crucial…” But there is something even more important and crucial than that: this next generation, of every political color, faces the immense challenge of coming together to work as the Venezuelan brothers and sisters they are, thinking of a better future for their children and grandchildren. That is a tremendous challenge for this Great generation, and I am sure they will meet it, despite the bad example some adults on both sides may set. I am also convinced that, whatever happens in 2012, the generation that could leave will keep working here with great determination. And that the emotional details Luis Vicente says are not convincing, such as family, the Ávila mountain, our little arepas… (and I would add our wonderful faith), are what feed the strength that keeps us fighting and praying every hour of every day in our beloved Homeland.