Narrow trail II

On September 27, 2006, my article Trocha Angosta was published in El Deber. Looking back now, it is clear that despite the fact that 18 years have passed since its publication, a current analysis shows that there has been no change in the concepts expressed in that article. That is why I am republishing it today with great regret, confirming the stagnation in which Bolivia finds itself. In the Dictionary of the Spanish Language, trocha has among its meanings: “path opened in the undergrowth” and “width of railroad tracks.” When President Aniceto Arce happily imposed (the opposition was opposed) the entry of the railroad into Bolivia, at that time the railroad company built the railroad track in its narrow size and not wide. The difference is substantial, as a broad-gauge railroad has greater transport capacity, both for freight and passengers, while a narrow-gauge railroad has obvious limitations. In analyzing Bolivia's republican life, we can see how the concept of narrow-gauge has been incorporated into all the activities and behaviors of the inhabitants of this country. With a few honorable exceptions, the mentality of Bolivians (regardless of whether they are indigenous, mestizo, or white, or whatever other label may be invented) is unfortunately narrow gauge. Their vision is short-term and focused on immediate satisfaction. Bolivia is already far behind other countries, and returning to the past, in addition to being illogical, not only distances us from progress (which is moving forward), but also takes us out of the context in which countries and the world are moving; we would thus be a Precambrian island in the middle of the 21st century. The first railroad entered Bolivia in October 1890, and we still have a narrow gauge (with the aggravating factor that we are a landlocked country), despite the fact that there have been different private and state administrations of the railroads. It is the response of our narrow-gauge mentality that has not demanded a change in the width of the railroad tracks. This concept of narrow gauge has unfortunately conditioned the behavior of Bolivians. We are in the midst of profound and defining changes, and hopefully we will think about them with a broad gauge mentality, although I doubt it. Unfortunately, it is clear that there has been no change in the narrow gauge mindset and attitude, and we continue to focus on the immediate and to put out fires here and there.