At the beginning of the month, at an event in Xela, in western Guatemala, I was surprised as I listened to several young people talk about their projects. It wasn’t arrogance—it was something else. I paused to reflect on something that happens to all generations: that feeling of being unstoppable, unique, irreplaceable… an almost inevitable exceptionalism, and even a certain egocentrism, especially in youth. Interestingly, as early as the 4th century BCE, Aristotle had something to say about this: magnanimity—understood as the ability to accurately recognize one’s own worth, without grandiosity. And that is precisely what I saw that afternoon.
A Quetzaltecan pride—from the Quetzaltenango region—that does not fade, that does not belong to a single generation or to any passing political discourse, but instead becomes something much harder to contain: a socio-spatially transcendent spirit, to use the precise term. That afternoon I understood that identifying with that region is not merely romantic. It is something more vital, denser, and more grounded than Guatemalan nationalism in its fullest expression—and that difference stands out.
Following the line of this somewhat extravagant idea, I dare to draw an analogy with Christianity—not to fall into romanticism, but because of its processes. The Church has had to go through deep crises, radical questioning, and even false leaders who spoke in its name. Nevertheless, it survived. It renewed itself and continues, twenty-one centuries later, with or without us—transforming its institutions through belief and reshaping its identity from within. I saw something similar in Xela. That local entrepreneurial strength—far from nostalgia—is the energy that stirs and renews in the face of the most serious challenges Guatemala faces today. Precisely because it can—and must—also be built from within, with an identity that does not depend on circumstances or sporadic impulses… That desire to improve and to transcend beyond the purely material toward something fundamental: development.
Now, if I venture to extend the argument into the political sphere—and I do—I would say that something very similar happens with Central American youth. That same feeling of being unstoppable, of representing the generation that has it all and will change everything, has a darker side that no one talks about: the ego—one’s greatest enemy, according to Ryan Holiday—and this quickly translates into politics. However, it must be said: the will to act exists, the energy too, but without that internal counterbalance, it can devolve into a form of authoritarianism… And that is where populist forces come in, not seeking mature leadership, but rather young people hungry for power and with little patience for due process. With “magic wand” solutions—iron-fist policies, promises of instant wellbeing—designed to capitalize on the demographic dividend and the media saturation that keeps us reactive. The symptom has a name: authoritarianism, and the conditions for its expansion in our countries are already on stage.
Even so, the magnanimous response also exists. The awakening of emerging leadership—more informed and aware of what is at stake—and the momentum of a young generation, with sparks of change, will not be a panacea. However, they will be the timely response we need most right now. Guatemala, like other countries in the Central American isthmus, is going through one of its most critical moments in terms of checks and balances on power and the quality of democracy: weakened institutions, lack of rule of law, and above all, a citizenry oscillating between resignation and apathy. Yet, comprehensive development models already exist. There is no need to invent them; they simply need to be brought into the discussion, contextualized, and implemented.
And that is where Xela returns. Because that force expressed in entrepreneurship and regional politics is not a coincidence or the result of isolated factors: it is accumulated culture, an identity that produces results. Thus, if there is something that this Quetzaltecan spirit can teach us, it is that change is built from within. And ultimately, I believe it is about that balance and magnanimity Aristotle spoke of: the conviction of knowing one’s worth and acting accordingly. Let us move forward, then, aware of our egos, proud of ourselves and our regions, and striving for our dreams—convinced that the kind of drive found in Xela can bring about the structural change our countries need.
Guillermo Melara
Guatemalan, Salesian, international relations student specializing in public policy. A believer in the potential of youth and in the idea that change is built from within.
