In his fourth book, the physician and writer Manuel Martínez-Sellés invites us to be a "free thinker" (as he says), to have our own ideas and to know how to recognize the ills of our society. To do so, he washes his hands, puts on his gloves, mask, gown,... and performs a surgical operation, in which with his fine scalpel he dissects fifteen highly topical issues that affect our society.
The entry into the operating room, by means of a brief and clarifying prologue, is carried out by the pharmacist and MEP Margarita de la Pisa Carrión. She introduces several ways into the body, anesthetizes the patient and facilitates the work of the surgeon in this task of dissecting a cluster of social tumors.
After the preoperative period, he carries out the incision with the scalpel, sharing his most basic concern, the lack of deep and calm reading of the majority. This means that there are many who cannot reach an adequate understanding of society and the reading of the classics of literature.
The intervention continues, now bringing up the problem of loneliness in our society. Interestingly in the age of digital connectivity and AI we have less personal contact and less interaction with our own.
And it goes on, but focusing the clinical picture on the lack of commitment that exists in any affective, work or any other type of relationship, which is another characteristic of the current times. This is seen, for example, in the reduction in the number of weddings, or in the absence of the fulfillment of our word or in the lack of confidence in the other.
But in any operation there is almost always a moment when the vital signs machine starts to beep because they accelerate, warning that it is in the midst of a crisis. This is what is happening with the worsening of our current pension system, which was created at a time of high birth rate and lower life expectancy, but which now is not at its healthiest because there are few children and longer life expectancy, which makes it broken and calls for balancing.
At this point of the intervention, it is necessary to distinguish the patient's sex. This is a compromising point, because although biologically it is indisputable, either you are XY or XX, for others it is a matter of debate. Therefore, to say that there are only two sexes sounds transgressive or trumpist, and is less and less common to hear. A chapter is dedicated to this topic.
Talking about fidelity is similar to talking about the aforementioned commitment, but it devotes a chapter to it. It is another value on the decline, but more focused on the lasting relationship in marriage or as a couple. Not exclusively, this crisis is also experienced in friendship and other areas.
Younger people are invited to become a parent early. For a simple biological reason, we are better prepared to have children in our twenties and thirties than when we are older. This also allows you to have more children if that is the case, since you have more time to do so.
And of course, as in her first book, she talks about life. It begins with fertilization and not in a specific week. It is a rare but medically and scientifically proven statement. The European Court of Justice in a 2011 ruling endorses it, as he explains in this chapter.
Further on, he explains that ending life goes against the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which defends life from the beginning to its natural end. Abortion, euthanasia, death sentence,... go against this.
In the middle of healing, the silent pandemic of the 21st century, pornography, appears. It is very "cute" because it is very easy to spread in childhood, thanks to the Internet, and at the same time it is very addictive.
The eyedropper has been used up and more serum must be introduced in the face of the lack of transcendence. Today we have less faith in God and in ourselves, which leads us to greater unhappiness and consumerism, both material and spiritual. Precisely because of this, he dedicates another chapter to consumerism, as an expression of personal emptiness. This is because the spirit must be nourished by reading, prayer, reflection... If this is not done, our inner emptiness will be filled with other "consumer" products that make up for our deficiencies.
Another tumor that is dissected in the book Manuel is the exaltation of the cultivation of our body image. When it is disproportionate and disproportionate, this attitude does not fill our self-esteem. It is filled by the acceptance of the opposite, of our vulnerability, of our limitation.
In this clinical picture always appears an allergy to eradicate in our young people: the rejection of our elders. The ageism is one of the forms of this social hatred, which thinks that because you are a certain age you are no longer able to work. When it is the other way around. The antihistamine is to combat this reaction and consists of venerating, respecting and wanting to learn from those who have more experience and knowledge of life in all aspects.
Finally, he talks about how life is wonderful and we must enjoy it in all its facets, without fear of anything. It is an invitation to live the good and bad moments knowing that they have a meaning even if we do not understand it.
Inconvenient truths for the self-employed
