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At 1:09 CET on Thursday, July 15, 2004, 22 years ago today, I published the first article of this blog.
It's not easy for a blog to reach 22 years. Of the blogs I remember from the time when Counting Stars began, very few remain today. It's gratifying for me that this little corner of the internet is still open and that it maintains the same freedom and independence as in its beginnings, without ever having received a single cent from the State, in any way. That's one of the reasons why on these pages you can read critical analyses of any government, regardless of its ideological leanings.
Counting Stars is now entering a new era. Recently, after years hosted on another server, the blog moved to a new, more modern hosting service that allows it to run faster, as you may have already noticed. New design changes are coming soon, changes I've been preparing for some time.
This blog wouldn't be possible without my family, who have supported me immensely throughout this time, especially during the most difficult moments. So, I dedicate this anniversary to them, especially to my mother, who reads me every day (and who actually collaborates on this blog as a proofreader, pointing out the frequent typos I make), and especially to my father. This is the first anniversary of this blog since his passing last year, and for that reason, without a doubt, this has been the most difficult year of all those I've experienced with this blog, but we have each other and we have God, who always lends us a hand in the most unexpected ways.
This blog is currently read in 185 countries. There could be more, but in some places, under dictatorships, access to this blog is blocked. The defense of Spain and of Freedom remain two of the reasons for this site's existence, and there is still no censorship that can silence that. And if they can't censor me in prose, even less so in musical format. I say this because Counting Stars is releasing their song on this 22nd anniversary, I hope you like it (the video is in English but has Spanish subtitles, you can activate them in the player):
The song was generated with artificial intelligence. I started working on it on May 19th, and since then I've been tweaking the lyrics and trying out different versions (8 versions of the lyrics and 56 versions of the music, no less; it seemed like a never-ending story), with very varied styles: pop, rock, heavy metal, and even classical music. I finally decided on a style I really like, a fusion of traditional Galician music (with bagpipe sounds) and rock. These are the original lyrics in Spanish:
Desde Vigo al viento
hay una voz en la red,
un grito de esperanza
entre los lamentos,
un canto por España
y por todo el Occidente,
una voz que defiende
nuestra y vuestra Libertad.Con sosiego entre el ruido
para no desesperar,
una opinión serena
para no dejarse llevar.Contando Estrelas,
Contando Estrelas,
una vela en la oscuridad.
Contando Estrelas,
Contando Estrelas,
¡por España y por la Libertad!Defendiendo la vida
desde la concepción,
y exigiendo respeto,
por la libre educación.
Apoyando una Europa
de naciones soberanas,
y avivando sus raíces,
que son judeocristianas.Frente a los totalitarios
y los que usan el terror,
¡que nunca nos arrebaten
nuestra dignidad y el honor!Contando Estrelas,
Contando Estrelas,
una vela en la oscuridad.
Contando Estrelas,
Contando Estrelas,
¡por España y por la Libertad!En cada página abierta
hablando con claridad,
siempre con independencia
y sin miedo a protestar.
Con razón y motivos
y siempre sin olvidar
que quedarnos pasivos
es dejar que triunfe el mal.Contando Estrelas,
Contando Estrelas,
una vela en la oscuridad.
Contando Estrelas,
Contando Estrelas,
¡por España y por la Libertad!
And this is the English translation:
From Vigo to the wind
there's a voice on the internet,
a cry of hope
amidst the laments,
a song for Spain
and for all the West,
a voice that defends
our and your Freedom.With composure amidst the noise
so as not to despair,
a serene opinion
so as not to be swayed.Counting Stars,
Counting Stars,
a candle in the darkness.Counting Stars,
Counting Stars,
for Spain and for Freedom!Defending life
from conception,
and demanding respect,
for free education.Supporting a Europe
of sovereign nations,
and rekindling its roots,
which are Judeo-Christian.Faced with totalitarians
and those who use terror,
may they never steal from us
our dignity and honor!Counting Stars,
Counting Stars,
a candle in the darkness.Counting Stars,
Counting Stars,
for Spain and for Freedom!On every open page,
speaking clearly,
always independently,
and without fear of protesting.With reason and motives,
and always remembering
that remaining passive
is letting evil triumph.Counting Stars,
Counting Stars,
a candle in the darkness.Counting Stars,
Counting Stars,
for Spain and for Freedom!
The lyrics contain some references that will be familiar to you, and with which I wanted to summarize the values I defend with this blog. One of them is one of Poland's official mottos, "Za naszą i waszą wolność" (For our freedom and yours), a phrase I particularly like and which led Polish soldiers to continue fighting with admirable courage and generosity after losing their homeland during World War II.
The mention of the roots of Europe is a reference to a historic speech by Pope Saint John Paul II in Santiago de Compostela on November 9, 1982: "From Santiago, I send you, old Europe, a cry full of love: Rediscover yourself. Be yourself. Discover your origins. Revive your roots. Revive those authentic values that made your history glorious and your presence beneficial on other continents."
The reference to the candle is because of what I told you here last year, when I said that I've always seen this blog as a small candle in the middle of an environment full of nautical flares. Flares offer a powerful light for a certain time, but then they go out. This blog has never aspired to have such luminous power, but here it is, still keeping its small flame alive.
Of course, if I mention Vigo, it's because this blog is published from this Spanish city. Finally, there's also a reference to a famous quote usually attributed to the Irish politician Edmund Burke, one of the fathers of conservative liberalism: "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."
Having said that, and as I have been doing for years on each anniversary of this blog, I end here with the verses of another song that has always accompanied me in Counting Stars, verses written by J.R.R. Tolkien, my favorite writer, and which appear in Book 1, Chapter 1 of "The Fellowship of the Ring", the first volume of "The Lord of the Rings":
The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say.
---
Photo: Elentir.
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