Gabriel Rolón: 'Life loses meaning when seeking happiness in the past'

Psychologist Gabriel Rolón believes that life loses its meaning when individuals search for happiness in the past. This tendency, he explains, is a way to avoid the responsibility of living in the "here and now." Rolón proposes the term "faltacidad" to describe a form of happiness that embraces imperfections, pains, and wounds, suggesting that the pursuit of total fulfillment is doomed to fail because it ignores human finitude.

This concept extends to romantic relationships, where Rolón cautions against the myth of the "soulmate." He states, "They are oranges that have lost segments along the way. No one will ever complete us." He also views hope and faith with professional skepticism, arguing that hope can incapacitate individuals by making them wait for magical outcomes rather than personal action.

Rolón describes love as a "wonderful invention to fool death for a while." He asserts that healthy love is practiced by consciously renouncing the use of power over a partner. "The person who loves you healthily is the one who gives up using that power. They never use the power they have over you to harm you," he clarified.

Finally, Rolón addresses the influence of family and cultural mandates, known as the "superego" in psychoanalysis. He suggests that destiny is often shaped by external voices that obscure individual desires. "Psychoanalysis is the art of trying to prevent someone from fulfilling their destiny," he confessed. Instead of static happiness, Rolón advocates for an active approach, encouraging the courage to confront one's own desires and accepting that happiness, though elusive, is an eternal moment found in immediacy.