The codependency of laws, earthquakes, and their tears
By: Luis Beltrán Guerra G. - 06/07/2026
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During a lecture series at the Academy of Political and Social Sciences, academic Carlos Ayala Corao argued that Venezuela should take advantage of the opportunities offered by Artificial Intelligence (AI), describing it as a useful tool for humanity. He also noted that Pope Leo XIV, in "Magnifica Humanitas," urged that AI be used as a useful instrument for humanity, not as a tool for domination, social control, and a new form of slavery.
We, not so learned, were often labeled as mere copycats whenever we turned to AI, so we thank our good friend Carlos Ayala for the suggestion he has made regarding the benefits of modernity.
Thus, we find that the word “earthquake” derives from the Greek “seismos” and designates a shaking or tremor. An older version of the Dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy defines it as an earthquake or shaking of the earth caused by internal forces. Furthermore, by way of complementarity, it refers to “seismology,” as a branch of geology, that is, the analysis of earth tremors. For the sake of order in examining this issue, allow us to also refer, apologizing for repetition, to:
1. Seismograph, an instrument that indicates the direction and amplitude of the earth's oscillations and shaking during an earthquake,
2. Earthquake, concussion or shaking of the ground, caused by forces acting within the globe,
3. Earthquake, a shaking of the earth caused by the sudden release of energy accumulated inside the earth.
Now, for a more comprehensive analysis, we should add those events caused by human will, which raise questions about the supposed legitimacy of the expression "political earthquakes." Among these, drawing on Kevin S. Hile's "The Big Book of Answers," we could mention a few: Nationalism, the Indian Liberation Movement (Mohandas Gandhi), Solidarity (Lech Walesa), Anti-apartheid, the Abolition of Slavery, the Civil Rights Movement (Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream"), the Ku Klux Klan, the United Farm Workers (César Chávez), Feminism, Populism, Progressivism (Workers' Rights), the Hippies, and the Occupy Movement (with international reach in the pursuit of an equitable economy). This list falls under the category of "Political and Social Movements." However, several more can be identified, including religious, philosophical, and artistic movements.
In light of the above, it is difficult to disregard "curiosity," defined by AI as "the natural desire or impulse to know, find out, and learn," without asking whether, in addition to the upheaval or shaking of the ground caused by forces acting within the globe, Venezuela has also been a victim, for many years and on several occasions, of "political earthquakes, without finding an efficient seismograph on a few occasions."
Furthermore, within the framework of logic, it must be emphasized that prominent figures point out that the political system is more efficient to the extent that it is based on "maximizing citizenship," the source of the true citizen, defined as "one who behaves rationally and moderates the most intense human impulses and passions." According to renowned specialists, we harbor primitive impulses, repressed desires, and traumas that influence our behavior without our awareness. These are considered psychic instances that frequently interact, defining the dynamics of personality and leading to the immediate gratification of desires regardless of the consequences. A superego imbued with demands in the face of an external reality induces a disturbance of spiritual equilibrium when we fail to master our own complexity, which compels us to defy even the will of God. For AI, the voluntary and conscious transgression of divine law, whose consequences seem more catastrophic than the unbridled disregard for norms created through political systems, is a serious matter. Setting aside the attitude of maintaining balance, controlling impulses, and acting with restraint in the face of emotions or desires undoubtedly exerts a decisive, and logically negative, influence on political leadership. Evidence of this abounds in Latin American countries.
One assertion of the above is that we should not doubt that “political earthquakes” have existed, exist, and that for centuries we have made millions of attempts to regulate them, in the interest of an efficient democracy, a topic in which Professor Carlos Blanco, a prominent Venezuelan politician who held important positions in the second administration of President Carlos Andrés Pérez, has participated in the search for alternatives, as evidenced by the interesting work “Democracy versus the efficient State” published by ECLAC.
In an interesting book by Juan Garrido Rovira, entitled “The Revolution of 1810” (2009), the distinguished jurist refers to the Regulations of June 11, 1810, noting among its purposes and aspects: 1. Democratic opening and proportionality, 2. Concentration of power: cause of political miseries, 3. Separation of powers, 4. Participation of the community, 5. Formation of the general census, 6. Counting of votes, 7. Election of deputies, 8. Installation of the Congress and finally “Towards the definitive change of the condition and political regime”, with respect to which the lawyer expresses “With the installation of the Congress, the Supreme Junta of Caracas had fulfilled its historical mission and a path was opened to discuss and decide on the declaration of independence and the establishment of the representative republican government based on the civil and political equality of free men.
The reader, thinking frankly, will most likely count the 216 years that have passed since then and, frankly, comment, "We've lived through quite a few political upheavals," consequences of human actions, though those fueled by nature are numerically far less frequent. A justifiable reason to ask which of the two types we should fear more.
The regime established by the United States, effective January 3 of this year, has been described by some as "co-government responsibility" and by others as "protectorate and tutelage." Those weary of so many earthquakes still welcome the intervention of the Giant of the North, but the more optimistic "yes we can" advocate for democracy, as enshrined in the Preamble to the 1999 Constitution, which is worth quoting:
“The people of Venezuela, in the exercise of their constituent power and invoking the protection of God, the historical example of our Liberator Simón Bolívar, and the heroism and sacrifice of our indigenous ancestors and the forerunners and architects of a free and sovereign nation; with the supreme aim of refounding the Republic to establish a democratic, participatory, and protagonistic society, multiethnic and multicultural, in a just, federal, and decentralized State, which consolidates the values of liberty, independence, peace, solidarity, the common good, territorial integrity, coexistence, and the rule of law for this and future generations; ensures the right to life, work, culture, education, social justice, and equality without discrimination or subordination of any kind; promotes peaceful cooperation among nations and fosters and consolidates Latin American integration in accordance with the principle of non-intervention and self-determination of peoples, the universal and indivisible guarantee of human rights, and the democratization of the international society, nuclear disarmament, ecological balance and environmental legal goods as a common and inalienable heritage of humanity; in the exercise of its original power represented by the National Constituent Assembly through free vote and in democratic referendum.”
We wouldn't know whether to call the proposed "refounding of Venezuela" one of the most imaginative earthquakes in our history, as it still shakes our aspiring, but unrealized, republic. Unfortunately.
In this context, it's worth revisiting the advice of academic Carlos Ayala, again drawing on AI, which defines exaggerated optimism as "the tendency to overestimate positive events and underestimate risks, potentially leading to toxic positivity. In the short term, it brings calm, but in the long run, it generates anxiety by avoiding reality and denying necessary emotions like sadness or anger." "It's not easy," the Italians say.
We must mention the response that our fellow academic, our disciple, Jose Rafael Badell, President of the Academy of Political and Social Sciences, gave to Ayala's presentation. This esteemed student and friend, with ample skill in bringing up the historic phrase "Di cebanos eterna die!" (meaning "As we were saying yesterday!"), seemed to have instilled in the audience the need for optimism to avoid despair, since Fray Luis de León began his lectures with this very phrase, often due to his frequent imprisonment in the dungeons of the time, punished for advocating the necessary path to political modernity.
Before concluding, it is essential to mention the excessive regulations, stemming from the mistaken belief that everything can be resolved through the problematic regulatory inflation resulting from an endless cataloging of crimes and alleged penalties. This underscores the illogical nature of classifying "earthquakes" through constitutions or lower-level legal sources. At the very least, the AI (presumably referring to a specific organization or body of law) would criticize such a measure.
A final observation in this essay would be to note the troubling interdependence of laws, earthquakes, and tears. And this is particularly true if we accept the hypothesis. The seismic disaster on the Venezuelan coast, therefore, warrants analysis to clarify what is often said about an exaggerated co-crime, which is not surprising, since, according to the biblical account, Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed by a rain of fire and brimstone sent by God as divine punishment. The sacred texts indicate that the destruction was due to the extreme depravity, sexual immorality, social injustice, mistreatment of foreigners, and the arrogance of its inhabitants.
Finally, returning to the topic of current relations between the United States and Venezuela, there are few options, perhaps only two: 1. The shared responsibility, protectorate, or tutelage continues, and 2. The United States decides not to pursue its current course. Perhaps a glance at Paul Johnson's insightful book, "The United States: A History" (2001), might help clarify whether or not the current regime's approach to Venezuela is appropriate. Limiting ourselves to the index, the topics covered are: Part One, “A City Upon a Hill” / Colonial North America, 1580–1750; Part Two, “Let the Free Constitution Be Forever Sacred” / Revolutionary North America, 1750–1815; Part Three, “What Prevails Is a Happy General Mediocrity” / Democratic North America, 1815–1850; Part Four, “The Almost-Chosen People” / The American Civil War, 1850–1870; Part Five, Crowded Masses and Golden Crosses, 1870–1912; Part Six, “The First International Nation,” 1912–1929; Part Seven, “Nothing to Have But Fear,” Superpower North America, 1929–1960; and finally, Part Eight, “We Will Pay Any Price, Bear Any Burden,” Problem-Making North America. 1960-1977.
That is the country, dear readers, on January 3rd of 2026.
«The opinions published herein are the sole responsibility of its author».