“I don’t want to die!”, said 42-year-old engineer Mariano Barbieri, after being stabbed by a thief in the City neighbourhood of Palermo a few days ago. Mariano managed to enter a nearby icecream store where the staff assisted him and called 911. Those local workers heard him say his last words: “I don’t want to die.” A few hours later, he died at the Fernández Hospital.
Today, I make his words mine. We don’t want to die. However, day by day, we are all dying in Argentina. We die of insecurity, of hunger, of poverty, of ignorance, of disappointment, of sadness, of sorrow, of dismay, of frustration, of discontent, of dissatisfaction, of grief, of hopelessness, of lack of future. Life is worth nothing here. No-one takes care of us. Moreover, no-one seems to care. We are at God’s mercy, and God has proved not to be Argentine. Sigh …
Buenos Aires Times, Sept 2, 2023