Prince of Asturias Awards 1981–2014. Speeches

P rince of A sturias A wards 1981-2014. S peeches 11 Armstrong adds triumphs that he achieved far from competition to those he earned in sport, when, struck down by cancer, he trod the paths of desperation, fear, pain and suffering with extraordinary bravery. He has returned from them a greater, spiritually changed man, ready to inspire the will to live in others who are ill, like he himself was. For this reason, he has created the foundation that bears his name, where he works passionately, helping people to come to terms with their illness, to face it and beat it. The Royal Academy defines the word concord as conformity, agreement, pact, consensus, harmony and union. All these words also apply to the commendable work of the Academy and the Association of Academies of the Spanish Language, who have received the Prince of Asturias Award for Concord this year. It is splendid to see agreement and harmony after social confrontation and warfare, but it is no less splendid to see how the word —which embodies the Spanish language, spoken by 400 million people in the world— is the end point of this harmonious union. The Spanish language is one of humanity’s great legacies; it is a productive vehicle for peaceful understanding and an essential tool of cultural creation. The illustrious Academies represented here today protect and stimulate it with their selfless work to spread and safeguard it in all its rigour and purity. Ladies and Gentlemen, The consensus agreed upon as regards orthography, the incessant work in the fields of lexis and grammar, the preparation of a new Dictionary of the Language and of the Academic Dictionary of Americanisms —which will include the linguistic peculiarities of each country— and the adaptation of all this work to technological change are tasks that round off this initial approach based on dialogue, concord and peace that is concomitant of the Spanish language. All of which brings us back to its roots, to the land where the language was born, to the lands of Spain, and to a belief that precisely here, the Spanish language —everybody’s language— might also be one of the most precious tools for permanent reconciliation and peace amongst us. It must never be a point of confrontation. The sentiments that this ceremony expresses and the tragic events of the Israeli and Palestinian people in the Holy Land clash in our minds and remind us of the 1994 Awards Ceremony, when Isaac Rabin and Yaser Arafat collected the Prince of Asturias Award for International Cooperation, which they shared. The content of the encouraging speeches made that memorable day by both personages and their expressive, warm demonstration of mutual understanding should live on. We are aware that much has to be forgotten, but we are also convinced that greater fruits can be harvested through dialogue, negotiation and generosity. We long for Jerusalem, with its age-old links to the Crown, to be a centre for peace, coexistence and hope, an example of brotherhood and concord to all and sundry. Like the Sephardi poet, we dream of the time when the flame of peace shall burn brightly in the night of pain. Before ending this speech, please allowme topublicly remind you —with the joy and spontaneity of heartfelt gesture— of the proximity of an anniversary of special significance to those of us Spaniards who appreciate and are grateful for the work done from a democratic Spain of peace and freedom. Twenty-five years ago, His Majesty The King, with Her Majesty The Queen at his side, began a reign which, through being innovative, modern and close to the people, has managed to find the right place that history and democratic, plural coexistence required of it. Although I confess it is not easy because of the close ties that bind us, it is emotive for me to evoke His work in this way from my dearly beloved Asturias, the source of so many emotions, concerns and initiatives that have made a fundamental contribution to the construction of Spain. I wish to highlight from here His commitment to a historic mission, the wisdom that drives his work and efforts to be, as he truly is, the King of all Spaniards. “Our country is facing up to the complex challenges of the information society and the new economy.”