Philosopher Torralba Urges 'Dreaming Awake' to Reclaim Hope Amid Disillusionment
In a packed Andorra lecture, Francesc Torralba called for realistic dreaming, communal support, and open grief expression to combat pessimism fueled.
Key Points
- Constant negative news fuels pessimism; life inevitably involves adversities like tragedies and setbacks.
- 'Dreaming awake' means lucid anticipation of hardship without paralysis, driving meaningful pursuits.
- Hope is realistic attitude requiring self-knowledge to distinguish true disasters from trifles.
- Personal loss taught need for communal support to express grief openly and avoid isolation.
Philosopher and theologian Francesc Torralba called for reclaiming hope in a society gripped by disillusionment and uncertainty, urging realistic dreaming and communal support to face life's challenges.
Speaking yesterday at the Centre de Congressos in Andorra la Vella, Torralba delivered the lecture *Somiar desperts: Esperança versus desencís*—"Dreaming Awake: Hope versus Disillusionment"—organised by the Arxiprestrat de les Valls d'Andorra. The event drew a full house, with some attendees standing for lack of seats, underscoring widespread interest.
Torralba warned that constant negative news distorts reality and fuels collective pessimism. Life, he said, offers no escape from adversity—"no hi ha vida sense contrarietats," or "there is no life without troubles"—whether personal tragedies, wars, or everyday setbacks. To counter this, he advocated "dreaming awake": a lucid, alert state that anticipates hardship without paralysis.
Hope, in his view, is not naive but a vital attitude that drives meaningful pursuits—be it faith, work, or hobbies—while warding off complacency. Yet evil often overshadows goodness, demanding self-knowledge to set realistic limits, distinguish true disasters from trifles, and stay grounded.
Drawing from his own experience of losing a child years ago, Torralba stressed expressing grief openly rather than suppressing it. "Fer-ho sol és molt complicat," he noted—"doing it alone is very complicated." Family, friends, and community provide essential backing to avoid isolation and becoming "un mort en vida," or "the living dead." Realistic goals, he added, maintain momentum amid pain.
By sharing these lessons from his personal and professional life, Torralba reinforced individual resilience and the bonds that sustain Andorran society.
Original Sources
This article was aggregated from the following Catalan-language sources: