EL BOTÓN
El Presidente miraba el botón sin verlo, tan intensas eran las cábalas sobre sus intenciones. Sólo él conocía su existencia y no eran necesarios protocolos de claves enigmáticas ni secuencias de números sellados compartidos con su hombre de confianza. Su antecesor en la Presidencia del país le confesó dónde estaba el mecanismo secreto para, en caso de extrema gravedad, anticiparse al atacante.
La Humanidad se desangraba en continuas guerras por muchos motivos. El ser humano nunca escarmentaba ni aprendía de sus errores; seguía obstinado en luchar contra su prójimo, fuera el que fuera y allá donde se hallase. Esto tenía que acabar, pensó el Presidente. La solución era apretar el botón. Había que empezar de cero.
Nuevos seres poblarían de nuevo el planeta Tierra. Tras la extinción de los dinosaurios sobrevino el caos pero luego nuevas especies de animales y plantas aparecieron. La Vida, de un modo u otro, no se extinguió totalmente, perduró aunque con formas distintas. Ahora sucedería algo semejante.
Las guerras conllevan crueldad y el fin del enemigo, Para los supervivientes, hambrunas y penurias, miserias insufribles.
No era lícito bajo ningún concepto, que un presidente decidiese sobre el porvenir de sus semejantes. Desde hace un tiempo este pensamiento lo llevaba siempre en su conciencia, día y noche, no le dejaba en paz.
En realidad no pretendía ni deseaba el fin de la humanidad, de la vida misma en el planeta. Él no temía a la muerte, más bien la deseaba; ésa era la finalidad de liberar la bomba K. Morir del modo más rápido e indoloro. Pero era inhumano y no era justo acabar con la vida de los demás. Aunque era bien cierto que las guerras , lenta pero inexorablemente, aniquilarían a todos los habitantes del planeta en poco espacio de tiempo. Él haría que ese final fuera más rápido e incruento.
Era el hombre más poderoso del mundo, podía decidir sobre naciones y pueblos enteros, quebrantar voluntades, todos le temían. La causante de estos pensamientos y deseos fratricidas era la infelicidad que le embargaba, el motivo de que tuviera a mano aquel botón. ¿De qué le servía decidir y dominarlo todo si últimamente el amor de su esposa le había abandonado? Se sentía el más desgraciado del universo y nada le importaba ya que todo desapareciera para siempre por esa ausencia.
En ese estado, nadie hubiera dado crédito a lo que pasaba por su mente . Ahora no era su corazón de oro, como siempre se atribuyó a sí mismo y mostraba a todos. Era el del hombre más ruin y despreciable que pudiera existir. Se asqueaba de sí mismo y pensar que era al fin y al cabo un hombre como cualquier otro, no apaciguaba su ánimo de quitarse la vida,
Su matrimonio era un ejemplo de amor y convivencia para el país, la imagen de una pareja adorable. Nadie imaginaba que en la intimidad imperaba el vacío, el desamor más insondable. Por eso no deseaba vivir en este estado, con esa carencia que se prolongaba demasiado tiempo, sin motivo aparente.
Levemente puso el dedo índice de su mano derecha sobre el botón. Si lo pulsara, el cohete con la carga letal surcaría los cielos más veloz que cualquier otro artefacto conocido para arrasarlo todo. En ese momento sonó su teléfono privado.
Era su esposa y le recordaba que era su aniversario de boda. Se sentía más feliz que nunca por compartir la vida con él y ser madre de sus hijos. Estaba deseando que volviera a su lado cuanto antes para celebrar tan importante efeméride brindando con champagne francés.
Aquellas dulces y tiernas palabras rebosantes de amor fueron un repentino y poderoso bálsamo para su atribulada desesperanza. El solitario y frío despacho presidencial se llenó como por arte de magia de la presencia y la voz de su añorada y deseada esposa que durante un tiempo creyó no lo amaba. Una inesperada felicidad embargó su antes triste corazón para que refulgiera y le hiciera sentirse diferente.
Un resorte desconocido e involuntario hizo que apartase la mano del botón. Su mente bullía en mil pensamientos contradictorios al pensar en la atrocidad que iba a cometer. Se horrorizó de sí mismo por querer ser el causante de la muerte de millones de seres humanos. Que también sufrían de amor y por otros motivos mucho más acuciantes que los suyos propios y deseaban morir voluntariamente.
Decididamente no pulsaría el botón. Él menos que nadie podía decidir sobre la vida y la muerte de ningún ser humano.
El botón seguiría en el lugar secreto de siempre.
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THE BUTTON
The President looked at the button without seeing it, so intense were the cabals about his intentions. Only he knew of its existence and no enigmatic key protocols or sequences of sealed numbers shared with his trusted man were necessary. His predecessor in the Presidency of the country confessed to him where the secret mechanism was to, in case of extreme gravity, anticipate the attacker.
Humanity bled to death in continuous wars for many reasons. The human being never chastised or learned from his mistakes; he was still stubborn in fighting against his neighbor, whoever he went and wherever he was. This had to end, the President thought. The solution was to push the button. You had to start from scratch.
New beings would again populate planet Earth. After the extinction of the dinosaurs chaos ensued but then new species of animals and plants appeared. Life, in one way or another, did not become totally extinct, it endured although with different forms. Now something similar would happen.
Wars entail cruelty and the end of the enemy in the form of death to which more heartbreaking. For the survivors, famines and hardships, insufferable miseries.
It was not lawful under any circumstances for a president to decide on the future of his fellow men. For some time this thought always carried him in his consciousness, day and night, it did not leave him alone.
In reality he did not intend or desire the end of humanity, of life itself on the planet. He did not fear death, rather he desired it; that was the purpose of releasing the K. bomb To die in the fastest and most painless way. But it was inhumane and it was not fair to end the lives of others. Although it was true that wars, slowly but inexorably, would annihilate all the inhabitants of the planet in a short space of time. He would make that ending faster and bloodless.
He was the most powerful man in the world, he could decide on entire nations and peoples, break wills, everyone feared him. The cause of these fratricidal thoughts and desires was the unhappiness that overwhelmed him, the reason why he had that button at hand. What good was it for him to decide and master everything if lately his wife's love had abandoned him? He felt the most unfortunate in the universe and nothing mattered to him since everything disappeared forever because of that absence.
In that state, no one would have suspected the true nature of the President's heart, In such a situation it was not his golden heart, as he always attributed to himself and wanted to show everyone. He was the most despicable and despicable man who could ever exist. He was disgusted with himself and to think that he was after all a man like any other, did not appease his desire to take his own life,
Their marriage was an example of love and coexistence for the country, the image of an adorable couple. No one imagined that in intimacy emptiness prevailed, the most unfathomable heartbreak. That is why I did not want to live in this state, with that lack that lasted too long, for no apparent reason.
He slightly put the index finger of his right hand on the button. If pressed, the rocket with the lethal charge would soar through the skies faster than any other known artifact to wipe it all out. At that moment his private phone rang.
It was his wife and reminded him that it was his wedding anniversary. She felt happier than ever to share life with him and be a mother to his children. I was looking forward to him coming back to his side as soon as possible to celebrate such an important anniversary by toasting with French champagne.
Those sweet and tender words brimming with love were a sudden and powerful balm for his troubled hopelessness. The lonely and cold presidential office was filled as if by magic with the presence and voice of his longed for and desired wife who for a time believed she did not love him. An unexpected happiness overwhelmed his formerly sad heart to shine and make him feel different.
An unknown and involuntary spring caused him to move his hand away from the button. His mind was buzzing with a thousand contradictory thoughts as he thought of the atrocity he was going to commit. He was horrified at himself for wanting to be the cause of the death of millions of human beings. That they also suffered from love and for other reasons much more pressing than their own and wished to die voluntarily.
I definitely wouldn't press the button. He less than anyone else could decide on the life and death of any human being.
The button would remain in the usual secret place.
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