Even in the darkest situations, light is always perceived, even if it is small and diffuse. That's what Grandma Fermín taught me, who was born in 1916 and had to see and learn in 92 years. Even in the hardest moments of his life, he always gave the best to the worst. In recent times I have remembered him many times, because the pandemic we have experienced as a tough time seems to me at times incomparable to the one suffered by that generation. Going back in time has always seemed like an interesting exercise, because I think it helps to dimension the reality. In addition, putting oneself in the other's place can be a good excuse for reflection.

I have recently had the opportunity to attend a round table on migrants in transit. Those exposed gave me the opportunity to see the situation of the friends who are on our streets from another angle. The situation in which they find themselves is absolutely vulnerable, among other things, because of the obvious lack of rights they suffer. According to a researcher of the Transiteus project, it is really difficult to know the amount of people in this situation, as their stay in us is usually short and, in general, the subject is not followed up. The data available from 2015 to the present day show the seriousness of the situation: people who have reached the Spanish state by sea rose from 5,312 (2015) to 58,569 (2018), according to the United Nations Refugee Agency. Although fewer (40,326 people) were counted in 2020, it is clear that the pandemic trend has not been reduced. About 80 per cent of those in transit are men and most of them come from North Africa and sub-Saharan Africa.

Of those who come to Andalusia and the Canary Islands, many are the ones who pass through us. Mass shipments on the north-south border reported from civil society are well known, and unfortunately deaths in Bidasoa are also known. According to the above data, it seems that we are talking about mass movements, and although the causes of migration can be multiple, it is difficult to believe that there is an adventurous character at the center of all these movements. The search for a dignified life is a solid and hard reason for leaving the country itself.

I think it's obvious to say that the world is made up of interrelationships. With the pandemic, we have seen clearly, for example, that what happened on the other side of the planet has had a direct impact on other countries. It is therefore logical to think that the situations of the impoverished countries are closely related to the dynamics of the enriched countries. In a way, excessive consumption in the north, the relocation of production processes or the struggle for energy resources directly affect the living conditions of local society. They would be the two sides of the same coin, each one needs another to survive.

The complexity of these links makes it difficult to identify them and, even identifying them, I have doubts as to whether we are able to give the best to the worst as a society. Although they seem to be far away, I believe that it is ethically up to us to fight for the care of our neighbour and the defence of rights. And if it's nothing else, we should do it for selfishness, because the other is ours too. It should not be forgotten that many of the members of the generation of Grandmother Fermín had seen the solution in America. And it is possible, for many current migrants, that the only diffuse light that is observed in the middle of the darkness is the step north.