The philosopher Heraclitus said that the basis of all things is an infinite change, in which everything is changed as a result of a continuous process of birth and destruction. Heraclitus also left us this simple phrase with a deep reflection: “No one will bathe twice in the same river.” He was right: both people and rivers change instantaneously, because reality changes us, and the river, the water, moves steadily.

The reflections of Heraclitus have been useful for centuries. But I don't know what the Greek philosopher would say if he had known our current political reality.

I've been on vacation, mentally as well, I've been back to work, and apparently my world has only gone backwards. The truth is that I have had this feeling on more than one occasion, but now it has hurt me.

If Heraclitus’s theory is already valid – perhaps what is not valid is our social organization – we should see the evolution day by day. But I, rather than evolution, see an involution in many areas – fortunately, not all.

Before the summer I put some work to the authorities and it seems that a little is being done. In the Basque Country parties move, move, talk, make proposals, accept. I don't know what's going to come out of that movement, but it's going to be more than it would be in paralysis. I do not know whether taxation will be renewed, whether there will be a budgetary agreement, I do not know what will happen to the peace paper, but what I do see is that they are concerned, that nervousness is gaining ground and, finally, that the time has come to work. The river is changing – let us see where – the citizens are seeing that effort, even in one area, in the economic area, because in the other two areas – peacemaking and political normalisation – there is no rapprochement. Perhaps the economic issue was the simplest, so that the two parties that were in trouble – the PNV and the PSE- could rise up: the first opening the way to their budgets and the second conditioning the politics of the other.

In the rest of the areas, however, I do not see any changes. I have the same or similar situation at this time, on the return of holidays. When in Hondarribia, in the Alarde, the Jaizkibel Company marched through the Great Way, I felt the shame of every year among black plastics, the insult and contempt of always. Every year I have to rethink and say that the majority cannot oppose the fundamental rights of the minority, because these rights are not bought, they are not on the market, which everyone has inside. It seems that this river is moving very slowly and that thanks to the work of many people it will not rot. However, attention must be paid to maintaining the mill of equality that moves these waters, and for this we need the authorities and the citizens.

Finally, on the other issues, we have stepped back considerably. In this, I seem to have come back to the past. And that's right: a dark, black past. Mr Obama, who received the Nobel Peace Prize, wants to attack Syria militarily, attacking the security of its citizens, the sovereignty of its people and the freedom of its people. I am not going to deny that the situation in Syria – and in the Middle East in general – is difficult to understand, but what is clear and I understand very well is that the war is not going to bring anything good – as the river that has left us has taught us well – and that no one can be considered a guardian of the world.