HOSTAGES OF THE PROVISIONAL

José Raúl Ramírez Valencia. 

Provisional culture, fluid society, light, weak thought, and relativism, are different terms that identify some features of our society. One aspect that has suffered the most from the influence of this culture has been the family, starting with traditional marriage, a confused and controversial subject in actuality. Today, with little precision and reflection different terms are used where we should only be using the term “marriage”.

These are some expressions used by the media, academia, and ordinary citizens: have an ongoing relationship, a live-in partner, living together as a couple, set up housekeeping together, and to live together part-time. As you can see, certain words do not appear: marriage, wife, spouse, husband, family, nor anything related to the theological concepts of a matrimonial alliance between a man and a woman. It appears that some believe these words must be removed from the discussion of modern day marriage; also they want them removed from our collective memories. It could be argued that a number of these words are new for a significant group of young people today and many other words are either unknown or emptied of their meaning. This also applies among a specific group of people who daily debate the theme of marriage and the family as so-called experts on these issues.

All this is the manifestation of a cultural basis for living that motivates "relations" that are best described as incidental, occasional, accidental, and situational. Without a doubt, the Weak Thought of philosopher Gianni Vattimo and the concept of provisionality as stated by Pope Francis both attack the basis of this culture. 

Today the idea that everything is temporary; not only things; but also ideas; and, of course, people who make up the family. Thus, for example, the slogans of the products in the market, "use it and throw it away," "this product expires this date", “use before ……” are also being implemented in these principles and fundamentals. Before, moral values such as do not kill, do not steal, do not covet your neighbor's wife.... were permanent and universal; according to this postmodern society, they must now be interpreted according to the circumstances of personal convenience. Therefore, as with perishable things bought from the market this weekend, we must also include matrimonial relations with a maturity date in the family shopping basket. In short, weak thought, fluid life, or light, means not to "complicate life" with long-term goals, only immediate, since it is more practical to stay teenagers without responsibility that definitive commitments. 

Man is different from animals because he lives beyond the immediate, his heart needs permanent values, since the provisional is not "free liberty", but rather it deprives him of the essentials such as the ability to make permanent and definitive commitments. If liberty does not release the provisional decisions, man becomes a prisoner of the uncertainty, insecurity and their relational status and will always be adrift and on the ups and downs of "affection" without any link. 

It’s not only that the provisional creates ambiguity, confusion, and uncertainty, it is projected in the future as a permanent state, therefore relationships of couples at that time will be in the position of being hostages of the provisionality. Well, then how to evangelize the provisionality? The immediacy? Will it welcome the weak thought? Will it be that the Gospel is an occasional matter? Circumstantial? Will we have a need of a more precise language and more convincing evangelization? 

PostScript: "We need to fight against the culture of the provisionality, go against the current", Pope Francis.