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In less than two years we will be commemorating the 500th anniversary of the discovery of America by Columbus, an epochal event in world history which the Organization of American States has termed an “Encounter between Two Worlds”. This encounter between Spaniards and Native Americans led almost inexorably to the creation of a New World distinct from either heritage.
It is a curious twist of fate that upon the arrival of this anniversary we should be witnessing the encounter of two distinct worlds, namely that of Mexico and the United States, and the fitful birth of a new North America.
Circumstances around the globe as well as powerful market forces seem to be prodding these two worlds into a closer economic relationship than heretofore seemed conceivable. Yet at the same time there exist many historical and cultural tensions which separate these two peoples as if by a grand abyss. As North America is bound closer together it remains an open question as to whether this encounter will lead to progress or disaster.
How are these two peoples to come to an understanding between each other so as to insure that their cooperative efforts yield the desired results? In what fashion might a dialogue be opened so that these two peoples who have such contrasting origins and historical experiences might discover in one another the bonds of a common future?
The task that lies before us is not so much related to an exchange of goods, a. “give and take” of identities, as it is related to a dialogue between neighbors, both respectful and magnanimous, To date, it would appear that this kind of relationship subsists mainly in an idealized world of political rhetoric. When’ are these two neighbors going to learn how to communicate with one another?
The task is one of education and communication, Even more so, it is a task of exploration, of finding the way through a minefield of misunderstandings and mistakes, of reconceptualizing the political and cultural map according to changed circumstances?’ We might compare this task to the all-important research center at Sagres established by Prince Henry the Navigator, where Arab, Christian and Jew Joined together to change the way mankind understood his world,
An institute dedicated to developing a North American public philosophy ‘ought to be established in the very heart of the New World,, Mexico City. It should bring together tomorrow’s leaders from both countries so that they might discover their common destiny as they fulfill their proper
identities.
June 21, 1990
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