Prince of Asturias Awards 1981–2014. Speeches

10 O viedo | C ampoamor T heatre | We regret that he cannot accompany us here this evening and hope to see him soon, well again and visiting us here in Spain. His ideas remind us of one of the deepest roots of European culture, that of Athens, and the pride proclaimed by Pericles on account of living in that Athens in which the respect for one’s ancestors and traditions existed in harmony with the positive acceptance of what was novel, and where the idea prospered that everyone should have the opportunity to become what they wished to be. A society which, as he has written, loved beauty without waste and unfailingly honoured wisdom. Europe and its culture possess a past full of encounters and clashes, of cruel wars and pacific trade relations, of examples of tolerance and of harsh inquisitorial actions, of scientific ideas coexisting alongside irrational superstitions. This complex history, enriched by numerous fundamental contributions, has progressively shaped the fascinating idea of Europe and its reality over the centuries. This is the Europe of coexistence, of dialogue, of culture, a land crisscrossed by paths of concord and symbolised by the joy of its anthem and by the blue flag and its stars; the Europe that our admired Steiner analyses as a land made to the human scale, the land of Roman roads, Greek temples and beautiful cathedrals; which may even be traversed on foot, going simply from one café to another. In short, a Europe that bears the traces and scars of the most serious of errors, while in turn promoting the highest ideas of civilization: the impulse to establish and spread throughout the world the practice of human rights, political democracy, the freedom of individuals, the rule of law, respect for diversity, the search for shared welfare and peace, just as its founders conceived it, and a reality whose political, economic and cultural model is an example for other human communities. This is the Europe that Dahrendorf has analysed, defended and studied in his works, which highlight the broad scope of his view and his concern that the uniting process of Europeans be based on open, cosmopolitan societies committed to solidarity and justice. The Award for Sports has been bestowed on the racing driver Michael Schumacher, whom we admire for his tenacity and valour, for his brilliant, intense devotion to Formula 1 racing. Extraordinary natural talents and great willpower blend together in the life of this sportsman, seven times world champion, who has been unanimously acknowledged as the best racing driver of all times in his speciality. Once more this year, a sportsman who is still under 40 years of age provides us with the example of his professional career and of the high levels that human perseverance can reach when guided by values such as dedication, the admirable yearning to overcome, the iron will to achieve excellence and the spirit of triumph. The force of sportsmen like Michael Schumacher is an example —above all for the youngest among us— of the capacity of a human being to overcome the most difficult of challenges, of the benefits that come from the sacrifice and abnegation of the great champions, who, like Schumacher, strive to convert their work and that of the team that fervently joins professional forces with them into a permanent success. But one does not become a great sportsman if one is not in possession of other values, such as those of generosity, companionship and nobleness. Triumph on the podium means nothing if the victory does not carry over onto other works that redound in the service and benefit of all. To add even greater glory to his triumphs, today we recall Michael Schumacher’s dedication to others, which has been recognized by diverse organizations of a global scope, attentive to the most significant social gestures of solidarity. His donations to various humanitarian causes, as well as the fact of being unesco Special Envoy for Education and Sport since 1995, constitute excellent proof of this less known, though no less valuable facet of our Laureate. The Award for Concord has been bestowed on the Holocaust Memorial Museum of Jerusalem. This Award allows us to pay the most heartfelt tribute of respect, acknowledgement and affection to the millions of innocent victims of the Holocaust, to so many men, women and children who were cruelly persecuted and exterminated. A brutal suffering that will never cease to be worthy of our most radical repulsion and to profoundly move our hearts. 26 th O ctober 2007