Jesús de la source: "The war against the virus is also waged through personal educational skills".

Self-regulation, skill of Withdrawal, training on the value of social commitment and thinking of everyone's benefit above one's own are some of the personal skills that young people and adolescents must acquire to be able to face the pandemic in a supportive manner and manager.

The Full Professor of Evolutionary Psychology and the Education of the University of Navarra, Jesús de la source, exposes them in a article in the form of a letter in which parents thank their children for their behavior. 

Jesús de la source believes that the current moment could be ideal to analyze the country's competencies in health behaviors. "The war against the virus is also fought from the personal educational competences we have to face this status", explains the professor.

skill staff to cope with a pandemic

My dear children:

This letter is a thank you letter. Mom and I are aware of the holidays you have missed and the outings with friends that have been cut short by taking care of us and keeping Covid-19 out of the house. You have done it since March until now.....

Thank you very much because, despite your young age, you are intelligent people, with a well-ordered knowledge about the pandemic and the coronavirus, its causes, its processes and its consequences. But, above all, for your principles. Because of those principles of respect and care for your elders that you assume every day, with your behavior, with your renunciations and sacrifices. You will be people who prefer science with a conscience. 

Thank you very much because, in spite of the ebullitions of adolescence and youth, you have developed self-regulation, to renounce those situations that are very funny, in the short term deadline for you, but very dangerous, in the medium term deadline, for us. You have known how to have skill of Withdrawal, so important for the daily life. This is really what differentiates us from other animals without prefrontal cortex. You will be people who know how to control themselves and renounce what does not financial aid them to be better people or that harms others.

Thank you very much because, despite the prevailing values of irrational denialism and the fashion of postmodernism, where individual freedom is far above the interests and good of the community, you have been able to put yourselves on the right side of history. Many people are suffering and giving -literally- their lives to bend the virus. The value of social commitment, of thinking about the benefit of all those who are vulnerable and around you (especially your elders) and not just your own whim, says a lot about you and your responsibility. You will be people with values and personal strengths that will help you a lot on the road of life.

If the assessment of competencies, as it appears in our System educational, must be applied and contextualized, this could be a good time to analyze the competencies in health behaviors of a country -although this is not stated in the report of the OECD. The war against the virus is also waged on the basis of the personal educational competencies we have to face this status. And these are demonstrated precisely when the storm rages at sea, not when the sea is calm.

Thank you very much. We are proud of you. Mom and Dad.