Prince of Asturias Awards 1981–2014. Speeches

P rince of A sturias A wards 1981-2014. S peeches 9 of the past, who valued being an all-round human being more than the crowns and statues to celebrate their victories, takes on new meaning and relevance. Success in sport is fostered by tenacity and by the effort that only youth can muster; but greater than this kind of success is victory over oneself. It is a pleasure to see how triumphs in the stadium can become victories for society as a whole, as has happened in the case of Steffi Graf when she established her important Children for Tomorrow Foundation. The value of our Awards —the genuine and exemplary nature of them— lies in how unifying they are, for not one of the individuals or institutions here present and being acknowledged are motivated by facile opportunismor the whims of the ephemeral. We discover in all of them those virtues that exalt men and women: the noble struggle for self-improvement and for others to progress, courage, the spirit of innovation that forthcoming times demand, selfless service to society, an openness towards all nations devoid of sectarianism, and determination and self- sacrifice, taken on occasions to the very limits. To sum up, we would emphasise that once again the Prince of Asturias Awards acknowledge all that is exceptional, namely the highest and most exemplary qualities available to man to fulfil his aspirations and achieve the ideal model of a society that is more just, one that displays greater culture, progress and concord. These are values that the Laureates have made their own and democratic Spain proclaims them. As we approach the end of a millennium it seems inevitable to look towards the future, to ponder on what we want the future awaiting us to be like, to try to understand the basic principles that will inspire tomorrow’s history, guarding whatever may be timeless from the past. We are immediately confronted by major contradictions, by the vicissitudes of history, by the highs and lows that mark a paradoxical civilization, by progress and degradation, respect and humiliation, absolute beauty and absolute ugliness. In the century that is ending, we have managed to improve living standards for millions of human beings who lead a more dignified existence thanks to the spread of education, culture and healthcare, and intense scientific and technical development. Yet at the same time, the gap between rich and poor, between oppressors and the oppressed, has widened, leaving a major part of humanity condemned to injustice and poverty. The suffering of those for whom the mere mention of the modern age is a humiliating act of sarcasm is sadly familiar to us. And perhaps because we care increasingly more about respect for human rights, individual rights, freedom of opinion and ideas and the right to work, we are more aware of their constant violations and also more responsible for them. Achieving a fairer, more caring world must continue to be a priority of human activity. In the apotheosis of global communication, we must consolidate even further the idea that there is a single human race with many separate identities, and that all of us on this earth should be equals in dignity, rights and obligations. Therefore, we must consolidate the idea that we can live as whole human beings; that we can achieve a new model for the human race that builds its ethics on principles, on occasions totally new ones, to eradicate pain and hate from human existence. To construct this new existence, we also need to see the women and men of the future as our fellow human beings to whom we have the responsibility of saving the planet. We become greater in this way, because those who think not only of their own era, but also of leaving a better world for those who take over from us on this age-old road where nothing has been achieved easily become greater. Many sacrifices have been required and many still need to be made to fulfil each of our dreams, to pursue each of our utopias. A great defender of human rights proclaimed that “whoever wishes to reap the benefits of freedom should suffer the hardship of defending it.” I will finish my speech by mentioning what I consider to be one of the major achievements of this century: the achievement of women’s rights. As we all know, throughout history women have lived in a permanent state of being under “We also need to see the women and men of the future as our fellow human beings to whom we have the responsibility of saving the planet.”