Wars, crises and misfortunes in general, whether our own or those of others, tend to reveal to us, in a revelation, what we did not know or what we did not want to know. It was said that the financial crash of 2008, when the waters of a prosperity that was as exorbitant as it was deceitful suddenly subsided, showed us who was and who was not wearing a swimsuit, and so it was. Although, fools that we are, we have learned little from that hard lesson.
Israel's military incursion into Gaza has revealed the existence of no less than 500 kilometers of underground tunnels, some 80 meters deep, dug by Palestinians in an attempt to survive, although, it must be said, not always for humanitarian purposes. or pure survival, since they contain the Hamas military infrastructure that Israel wants to destroy.
Now that the richest - and increasingly powerful and insane - men in the world are determined to flee this burning planet as soon as possible to settle on Mars, the Moon or who knows where, surely we would do well to at least lend a little more attention to the world, immensely unknown, that opens under our feet.
In Bajotierra: a journey through the depths of time (Random House, 2020), the English writer Robert Macfarlane opens the doors to underground worlds that throughout the centuries men have inhabited, excavated, decorated and often abandoned. , once its function has been exhausted. What Macfarlane tells is impressive while highlighting our total ignorance as to what is brewing beneath the ground we walk on.
Skipping the reader through the exciting chapters that deal with prehistoric cave art found in England or Norway, Macfarlane takes us through depths much closer to our days and to ourselves. Of course, it could have started with the catacombs of Rome or the crowded ossuaries of Naples or Palermo, but what is found in the Parisian underground or in the Carso, a mountainous region in northern Italy that houses a labyrinth of tunnels, is already impressive. used by both during some of the bloodiest battles of World War II.
It is illustrative that Felix Nadar (1820-1910), one of the most prominent pioneers of photography, photographed the ossuaries located in the Parisian underground in low light, before photographing the City of Lights from a hot air balloon. Now, filming Paris from the air is within the reach of anyone with a drone. As for the infinite labyrinth that opens beneath the cobblestones of Paris, groups of tourists now walk there and intrepid adventurers who are friends of the catacombs take risks in search of new sensations. In fact, the internet has given wings to catacombophilia, which continues to gain new followers.
The depths house our past, our truth, which, alas, is often unspeakable, the hidden past that we do not want to see. But also, if they are given poorly, perhaps our destruction or salvation. Nobody knows. There are already many bunkers and we know that there will not be room for everyone or they will be nothing more than a lethal mousetrap for the chosen ones.
Much of the nuclear waste is found in underground cemeteries. They tell us that they pose no danger thanks to the extreme security measures used in their storage. But until when? Perhaps tomorrow the extreme weather conditions due to global warming, together with atmospheric pollution, will force us to seek refuge underground. Or maybe it is because of a nuclear, chemical or technological war, without forgetting a new pandemic that makes you laugh at the covid one. We were troglodytes, we will become troglodytes. Or on Martians. Hopefully.
