Prince of Asturias Awards 1981–2014. Speeches

P rince of A sturias A wards 1981-2014. S peeches 5 This diversity of the world, the extraordinary cultural diversity that characterizes any human society, is generally the object of praise, but also sometimes cause for suffering; because, although it is a source of wealth for our countries, it is also a source of tensions. Those nations based on ethnic diversity and immigration figure among the most dynamic on the planet –one need only look to the other side of the Atlantic to confirm that this is so. However, this dynamism often goes hand in hand with discontent, discrimination, hatred and violence. In itself, diversity is neither a blessing nor a curse. It is simply a reality, a fact of life. The world is a mosaic of innumerable nuances, and our countries, our provinces and our cities progressively take on the image and semblance of this world. The issue is not knowing whether we can live together despite our differences in colour, language or creed; the question is knowing how to live together, how to turn our diversity into a benefit rather than a misfortune. Living together is not innate to men, whose spontaneous reaction is usually that of rejecting the other. Overcoming rejection requires the lengthy undertaking of educating citizens, incessantly repeating—to one and all— that the identity of a country is neither a blank sheet on which anything may be written nor an already written and printed page, but rather a page that is in the process of being written. There is a common heritage —institutions, values, traditions, a way of life— which each and every one of us must ascribe to, but each of us must also feel free to make our own contribution depending on our own talents and sensibilities. As I see it, getting this message to take root in the way people think is a priority for educated people today. Amin Maalouf — Prince of Asturias Award for Literature 2010 Excerpt from the speech given on the occasion of receiving the Prince of Asturias Award for Literature on 22/10/2010.