Human ecology is shaped as much by the natural environment as by culture and society. When it comes to nature, Peru is spectacular for its variety, beauty and grandeur, as well as the generosity of its resources. Although there are many initiatives to take care of it, the work is still immense.

In the cultural and social dimension, the challenge is more complex, since we still do not have the notion or the urgency to take care of that environment and prevent it from being toxic. And it is in culture where values ​​are cultivated, carried and communicated; the one that nurtures and forms our soul and national conscience. What our culture recognizes and proposes as valuable we assimilate in our way of seeing reality and how we act.

It is proverbial that in Peru we pride ourselves on ‘being cunning’ and that there is nothing more shameful for a ‘Peruvian male who respects himself’ than being duped. With that criterion, however, we cannot build civic values ​​or trust.

When the popular aphorism insults firefighters for risking their lives without getting paid, we educate ourselves that generosity and altruism are for suckers. That is why it is not surprising that, at the time of our national holidays, a celebrity has shown her ignorance and contempt for our heroes Alfonso Ugarte and Francisco Bolognesi precisely because they took a step forward  and died in defense of the homeland.

That her mistakes have been discredited – reinforcing the unfair stereotype of artists as passionate and creative, but neither responsible nor thoughtful – is accidental. What is symptomatic is that making fun of the courage and generosity of those who do not seek their own benefit, finds an echo and applause. This is a trait of something deeper, that is sick and rotten, and must be diagnosed and healed.

Another aphorism says that “authority that does not abuse, is discredited” and there are politicians in our country who boast of repeating it. We assume that politicians abuse and steal, and we would be surprised otherwise. And since politics, and sometimes business too, are corrupt, those who feel righteous leave it to the corrupt.

But the national culture is filtered and nuanced by the local culture and ultimately, by the culture of each family. In the daily life of the family, the values ​​and pseudo-values ​​of our national culture are commented on and transmitted, criticized and disqualified or confirmed. In the degree that the national soul must heal, the family plays a fundamental role.