Prince of Asturias Awards 1981–2014. Speeches

5 P rince of A sturias A wards 1981-2014. S peeches Speech XXI As the age-old woods in the valleys of this much-loved land of Asturias begin to sense —as the poet says— “`the broad moons and the short days of the winter time”, we are holding the first of our Award Ceremonies of the twenty-first century in this city of warm welcome and culture, Oviedo. Much to our satisfaction, we can say that after forging a long pathway that has been so full of genuine, life-enriching experiences, the Awards have become a shining beacon of coexistence and culture the world over. This year Asturias celebrates the twentieth anniversary of its Statute of Regional Autonomy, the centenary of the deaths of two writers, Ramón de Campoamor and Leopoldo Alas, Clarín , and the bicentenary of the birth of Alejandro Mon, economist and expert in public finance. All three have bequeathed works which time has only served to enhance. Campoamor, who lends his name to this beautiful theatre we are in, with his touching, transparent poetry; Clarín, intelligent and ironic, the author of one of the works at the pinnacle of our literature, the novel La Regenta ; and Alejandro Mon, a reformer of the Spain of his times, a representative of the enterprising, rigorous facet of Asturias, selflessly devoted to the land of his birth. Yet, to our deep regret, memories of gratitude towards these great Spaniards and the joy of this ceremony, which now has such international renown, are overshadowed by those whose will is to usher humanity, as on so many other occasions throughout history, towards a world of silence and fear, devoid of freedom. On the one hand, we witness the development of science and the arts progressing at unprecedented speeds, and yet we continue to live with the darkest of obscurities, at times as old as history itself. We have all also felt the horror of the terrorist attacks of last September 11th in the United States and the momentous consequences that affect us in so many ways. Rather than intimidating us, such events should give added impetus to the search for what unites us and saves us. In other words, universal protection and the ubiquity of human rights, respect for differences between cultures and civilizations, and the conviction that religious feelings constitute a profound ethical and spiritual stance that will help us to reach out towards others. This is how we will avoid the triumph of the fundamentalist rationale, which is so unjust to human reason and to the very religion that it purports to defend. We have no wish for the history of man to be the history of his wars yet again; we wish it to be guided by the will to build up a universal community in peace and freedom; a world where terrorism, the brutality and fanaticism of which the Spanish are unfortunately only too well aware of, does not exist. This is why we reiterate our belief that eradicating it ought to be a top priority of the international community of free, democratic nations, since no cause, no project, no collective aspiration can serve as justification for carrying out, encouraging or justifying terrorism in any of its guises. In short, we desire a world that can be guided by tolerance and solidarity. One of our Laureates, Professor Steiner, has said this in heartfelt words of great beauty: “All human beings should learn to live as if they were guests of life. There is no society, religion, city or town that is not worthy of improvement. Likewise, there are none worthy of not being abandoned when injustice and savagery reign.” However, let us turn our gaze towards the event that brings us together here today, as the life and works of this year’s Laureates are a splendid offering to the high values that we strive to encourage from within our Foundation; life and work dedicated to freedom, creative passion and hope. “We have no wish for the history of man to be the history of his wars yet again; we wish it to be guided by the will to build up a universal community in peace and freedom.” Watch video