When we are in the middle of a crisis, so often it’s very hard or even impossible, depending on the depth of the situation, to get something positive out of the storm. Negativity (realism for some) overcomes our life and we end suffering, with all the blows the crisis has, the strikes of our own attitude towards what is happening. That’s how, in that huge sea of destabilizing situations, we lose objectivity and with some frequency we even lose hope.
The motivation
It’s no secret that Venezuela has been stuck in a crisis for quite some time. A crisis that gets even worst day by day, widening its grasp over more and more scenarios of the life of Venezuelans. For some, it began more than ten years ago, for others it started about two or three years back.
The truth is that Venezuelans are tired, stressed, worried, struck by all sides and that makes them feel lost, that makes them think that it’s impossible to escape this terrible situation or even that there’s a long way to go before they can see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Maybe this last statement it’s true, but it will be a lot shorter and easier to go if we can see how importance in each of us. If we start to see ourselves as a part of that change process and not as simple spectators, completely passive and powerless.
The change initiates with the man in the mirror, easier said than done. The hard part is to make it to soak this concept is and accept 100% responsibility of our duty as citizens of any country.
This is what Andrés Modesto understood. Born in the Aragua state, now 36 who doesn’t hesitate to show the pride he feels to have been born in Maracay, also called the Garden City, and being a Venezuelan. He talks about Venezuela with pride and passion.
Just like a kid would talk about her mother, he says that “Venezuela is the best country in the World”. And we have to accept that for every person, their born country usually is the best and they are right to some point.
Andrés studied Public Politics in the Central University of Venezuela and got his grade, but also this guy has had two big self-taught passions, writing and photography.
With these two last activities he has left his signature in several projects, from small modest like the school journal to some bigger online publications like www.planetaurbe.com, www.rumbacaracas.com and www.culturizando.com. He started his personal Project www.ProximaExtacion.com and has been growing slowly and evolving across social networks.
#VenezolanosconCorazón
Andrés is a young entrepreneur, kind, idealist and a dreamer. His social conscience and restless attitude towards injustice that is every day more evident in his country (Venezuela) made him take those hobbies more seriously. Giving a voice and a face to those people who are ignored time after time because of today’s fast-paced life style and our egocentric and individualist society. Or even worst, because of being part of a minority are mistreated and/or humiliated.
The story behind this initiative starts one day while he was waiting for a friend in a taxi to head for Caracas. Five small kids between 6 and 10 years of age were cleaning windshields during the red light. When the smallest one finished with one of the cars, the owner of the vehicle threw some coins to the ground, leaving the kids hands extended.
The plain sight of this humiliating scene made his mind up. What made it worst, was the fact that it was against a six years old kid who should be safe at home playing under the protection of that place and not in the middle of a street breaking his bad over a few coins. That day he felt indignation and decided to do something about it.
This is how Venezolanos con Corazón, was born. A space for thinking, to reconnect with people, with those that we don’t want to look at because they show us our wrongs as a society. A space that pursues the emotional connection between us and the problems of another person, that person that is invisible to us because is not our business.
Everything starts by talking to a single person or group that catches his attention. When he’s able to connect or, at least, demonstrate that he means no harm, Andrés identifies himself and asks for permission to take some pictures.
Basically he makes a deep heart felt connection and asks some questions. He often gives them some food, coffee; but above everything else, he gives them his company, love and empathy.
Once he has arrived home, Andrés publishes over social networks some pictures with part of the story and/or interview and shares some thoughts about it.
The speech
His writings are not high end, on the contrary, it’s quite simple, event passionate and naive, but it achieves his objective, to touch emotions, to call for deep thoughts, to evaluate ourselves and to stop and think about something else than our own problems.
It shows that somebody else can be in a harder situation than us and that we can even do something to help sometimes. He makes you dive into the world of the person in the pictures and let us see reality through their eyes, to realize the other side of the coin and that everybody, on their own way, give their best to progress and support the family.
Maybe, to some people, this can look like something naïve and without any real importance, but he’s teaching by example that every one of us, from our places and with our options, can do something good for somebody else and for our country. Create a public conscience and open the eyes of the public will lead other people to get involved a look for help in order to support those in need.
More and more followers come over the social networks, comment and share his posts. The response is always the same.
For Andres Modesto it has been a big surprise the huge impact that the #VenezolanosConCorazon has had. The public’s reply is consistently the same, give him blessings for his hard work, congratulate him for the posts. They say they’ve been touched by those stories, they thank him for giving those in need the opportunity to talk and show their life to others, to show that even in such a bad situation they have a lot to do and to say to make this a better society and a better country.
Slowly, but steadily, his work has been getting the attention of artists, writers, comedians, politicians, Non-Government Organizations inside and outside of Venezuela. A movement is growing, the interest to do something for those in need. And what started as a space for stress release, reporting and diffusion is getting bigger and taking a different shape. It has managed to get medical stuff, food, water and help for some of the people he has interviewed and he’s always trying to do a little more to help include those outcasts from society.
Grateful
It has not been an easy job, the opposite is the truth, it has been risky. He has been robbed, threatened and been victim of censorship. He has been bullied because he has been bringing to light some uncomfortable truths for the interests of some powerful people, nevertheless, nothing has been able to stop him.
Romantic? Yes, a little or maybe a lot. But decided to do something to better the neighborhood. That’s the way, the only way to overcome a country-wide crisis. Each and every individual has to understand that our action, as small and unimportant as it may seem, it adds up. Our effort is important and we have to stop waiting for another one to come and solve every single problem like a magic trick.
Kindness, courage, inspiration, romanticism, iron will and a beautiful soul are some of the features of Andres Modesto and we have to say it, he is one of those #VenezuelanWithAHeart (#VenezolanosConCorazon).Thanks to Andrés and thanks to each of those #VenezolanosConCorazon, with everybody’s engagement we will get Venezuela out of this bad time.
