Raise your hand if you want to be last. Raise your hand if you want to be second choice. Or if you want to be a loser. Or if you want your life to pass by at a fast pace without having anything to fight for. Probably, if you are a sane person, the most logical response will come naturally. Who wants to live without meaning? Who, in their right mind, wants to live superficially and lose? Exactly: Nobody. This is the title of the latest studio album by the guys from Besmaya, two young men from Pamplona who wanted to give prominence to a little yellow figure whose name is, literally, Nobody. Through this figure, who only exists when we name him, these artists want to refer to a concept closely present in the life of anyone who has ever faced the bitterness of modern life.

Like everything important in this life, this concept is not easy to define. Growing older, leaving university, starting the competitive career phase, the complexity of existence, the seriousness of life, and the speed of processes. Nothing is like it used to be anymore, because you have lost the drive, the compass that made you feel in control, and that nothing or no one could stop you. You feel nostalgic because just a few years ago you wanted to conquer the world and change things, to be someone, but now you live overwhelmed by climbing the corporate ladder, paying rent, and arriving with a smile at the Thursday after-work without anyone noticing your chronic fatigue. A world of masks and empty smiles. The album talks about how adult life has stolen the innocence of childhood, and how the modern world has drastically depersonalized us, gradually turning us into Nobody. What is commonly known as "entering the wheel."

Deep down, Besmaya puts us face to face with a harsh truth to accept: you and I are that little figure. That little figure represents every single person who has lost the capacity for wonder and the ability to be the protagonist of their own life. When we live on autopilot. Or as Ricardo Piñero puts it, when we stop asking ourselves what we are called to and living accordingly.

And how do we escape this depersonalization amidst so much noise? How do you return to being yourself when you have gotten fully into the wheel? How do you stop being nobody and start, by contrast, to be someone? Do we have to leave the world and go live with the Carthusians, or on a mountain? Do we have to do strange things? The answer, I am afraid, is not one I possess. All I know is that I am making a 12-stage Journey to cross the Threshold and discover it. And I am not alone, because I am accompanied by 1,200 people who have also decided to step out of the wheel. Will you join us?

This September, returning to the routine has felt great to me. At TheNomba and It's Time To Think we have recharged our batteries and returned stronger than ever. Perhaps what made me most excited was the pictorial walk through the Madrid of the Austrias that we did with several of our Nomba students, led by Rafael Santiago de Ruzafa. Quite an experience to meet and put faces to names.

Our Nomba students enjoying the Madrid of the Austrias

If you are not in Madrid and find it impossible to take part in these kinds of activities, you can always set up the first gathering in your neighborhood or town. That is what some Nomba students in Valencia and Madrid have already done. We believe these gatherings are an incredible opportunity to put faces to names and build bonds with others in your same situation. Write to us and we will tell you how to do it.

In addition, this September we had a meeting of teachers from the Arenales school network with our ally Ana Iris Simón. We leave you the link to the meeting here, where Ana Iris reflected on the mark a teacher leaves on their students. I will not stop to comment further, as that would give me enough material for a couple of newsletters. We also had the online monthly livestream with Alfredo Cruz, on the importance of acquiring virtues. Another great topic.

Regarding the thinkglaos, this September has also been incredible. We opened the course in Madrid with Inazio Lacarra, Ignacio Lacarra Martín, a young artist from Pamplona who made us think about the art of looking in our consumerist society. But we didn't stop there. We also had thinkglaos in Campo de Criptana, Valencia, Castellón, Pamplona, Seville, Colombia, El Salvador, Jaén, Guadalajara (Mexico), Mexico City, and Ecuador. That's quite a list. Furthermore, another thing that brought us great joy was the thinkglao in Guatemala by our founders, where they spoke about friendship as the main engine for great feats in people's lives. This is what feeds our entire ecosystem. Thus it was born, and thus we will continue.

Nomba students now have two important new features on the platform. The first is that you can become a Fellow. From the platform, you can generate a code, and if someone else uses it to sign up (a coworker, a family member, a friend...) we will gift you a book from our extensive reading plan. The other feature is letters to the editor. We will publish the best ones at the end of each month. And no, we do not need you to have a degree in literature and creative writing; we need you to be fresh, relatable, and original. You can send your letter here.

I bid you farewell for today. I hope your return to routine has been pleasant, and at least that you have not entered the wheel, which in itself is already a milestone to celebrate. If you ever enter, you can always step out. We are here to lend you a hand.

Meanwhile, I hope this newsletter is read by Nobody, as he will get upset with me for the lack of discretion.

Until the last week of October.