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On November 10, 2023, the 52nd anniversary of the creation of the National Institute of Astrophysics, Optics and Electronics (INAOE) and the 81st anniversary of the inauguration of the Tonantzintla Astrophysical Observatory were celebrated. At the ceremony, two colleagues from my department, Drs. Luis Carrasco and Guillermo Tenorio-Tagle, who were in fact instrumental in my integration into the INAOE. They also celebrated 25 years of work in the institution for nine of us, and 30, 35 and 40 for many more. On this occasion they asked me to address a few words to the audience on behalf of my colleagues, who are entering the senior years of the institute.
My speech was about fundamental values for working in a research center, which go beyond what is reflected in the statistics or in the personal resume, and that I have learned in the 25 years of working at the INAOE: the community, caring , excellence and gratitude.
The speech was inspired, in part, by the interview interview that Gabriela Warketin did for El País with the Colombian thinker and philosopher Bernardo Toro, who defends the need to move from a model of progress based on accumulation, power and success to a model of care. of others and of nature to face the challenges of the 21st century, including climate change. I’m sorry I mixed up the quote and didn’t give credit to the right thinker — it wasn’t a slip, I just mixed up the reference to the interview I had heard days before while driving. This writing serves to correct my error.