The decline of the West has many faces. One of them is the regrettable spectacle that the hegemonic left has given in recent decades, becoming the squire Progrí of imperialism and neoliberalism. However, the emergence of a new left other than the ashes of the crisis caused illusion in some places. Then came the frustrations. This new left has achieved a government in Greece, but instead of changing things, it has continued to delve deeper into the path of economic austerity. That is why, in the short and medium term, it is difficult to imagine the success of the transformative left in the decadent First World.

The concern about the impossibility of the left is not just at the political level, the roots of the problem are deeper. Western societies are very conservative. We have often heard that they are accommodated, but no, we must not confuse economic comfort with the high level of consumption. More and more people are facing financial difficulties or the long hours they give cannot be defined as part of a comfortable life. However, people live in the grip of consumerism, the population is ageing and, in general, most of them experience something similar to Stockholm syndrome, so they fear real change.

Real change means pain. It is punctual pain, although it may be better for the future, but there is no change without pain in one way or another. However, painless change is what the moderate or transformative Western left sells today. It has been convinced that it will vote, win the elections, nullify current economic policies and everything will return to normal. The Greek party Syriza wanted to do the same, prioritizing social policies, putting the general interest before any other interest, but without altering the economic system. But if the people are not prepared to suffer the pain, that was an illusion, for example, to leave the euro or to make a real attempt to abandon it, to really negotiate to defeat the European Union and Germany. In the short term, this would have caused great pain, but in the long term it would be beneficial for the Greek economy and people. Syriza said that this is not what the Greeks want and that it is therefore making cuts and implementing the most brutal neoliberal policies in exchange for staying in the euro.

In the Basque Country we have also seen and see it every day. To smile, colours here and there, confessions and a good atmosphere, with these, but above all with the vote, you want to convince the public that the objectives will be achieved. In Catalonia they experience a similar syndrome, the secesory process has shown great organizational, creative and dexterity skills, but it has two shortcomings and a great problem: on the one hand, the lack of leadership and a clear majority after the last elections; on the other hand, the binomial "mine of change" has not been worked out.

The Catalans have everything prepared for the day after the proclamation of independence, but what they do not have is the majority psychology of citizenship. Some sectors, especially among entrepreneurs, have already appeared saying that they are not prepared to suffer the pain, while others cannot imagine the pain that such a process can cause in the short term.

Any unilateral process of independence has created pain in the short term, as citizenship has suffered discomforts if one wishes to express itself in a more pleasant way. The economy is sick, the financial system is distorted and deteriorating without international recognition, wages behave in the same way, while product prices are growing, etc. Will the independence Catalans be willing to suffer similar situations? The failure to comply with the deadlines announced so far and the delay in the process makes clear the will to avoid pain, will fear overcome?