Every day I find it harder to listen to some speeches, not because of a lack of interest in public life, but because of this increasingly widespread feeling that  there’s an uncomfortable gap between what is proclaimed and what is practiced.  And I sincerely believe that therein lies one of the greatest concerns of our society: the need for consistency.

I’m not referring to perfection or moral purity, concepts that are not inherent to human nature. I’m referring to something much simpler and, at the same time, more demanding: consistency between the values ​​one claims to defend and the decisions one makes in real life.  That honest congruence between word and deed, which, when it exists, generates respect even in disagreement.

Currently,  trust is more eroded, not so much by the mistake itself, but by repeated inconsistency . It’s easy to understand the error; what’s disconcerting is the lack of correction, the double standards, the ease with which sacrifices are demanded that one is unwilling to make.  In this daily disconnect, disaffection, skepticism, and, worse still, resignation are cultivated.

Consistency doesn’t make noise . It doesn’t usually grab headlines or spark heated debates.  It’s discreet, constant, almost silent.  But  that consistency is precisely what makes it the foundation of credibility.  It’s about acting in accordance with what you preach, even when you gain nothing from it.  Consistency: a silent and recoverable value.

This reflection is not directed solely at those who occupy positions of power. It also challenges those of us who observe, comment, and demand.  We cannot aspire to an ethical public life while normalizing minor inconsistencies in our daily lives.  Ethics cannot be merely an external demand; it is also an internal, personal exercise.

That’s why I believe that  restoring consistency is not just a political issue, but a cultural and personal one.  It means rediscovering that words carry weight, that commitments are binding, and that values ​​are not a marketing tool, but a guide for life.  It means understanding that credibility isn’t decreed: it’s built through actions, day after day.

While we may not be able to transform structures overnight, what we can do is  honestly examine the gap between what we believe and what we do. Because perhaps it is there, in that silent, everyday gesture, that true regeneration begins.

Tomasa Calvo Sánchez  .  University Professor