Colonel Aureliano Buendía on Political Polarization: A Man Who Fought a Dozen Wars

I once asked Colonel Aureliano Buendía — the solitary, brooding leader of the Liberal cause in One Hundred Years of Solitude — what he thought of political polarization. He lit a cigarette, stared out over the sea from his workshop where he made golden fishes, and said, “There is nothing new about division. It has always been this way.”

He fought thirty-two wars and lost them all, not out of weakness, but because he understood something most modern politicians don’t: ideals mean nothing if they only serve to divide. To him, politics was a cycle of repetition, a wheel turning without progress, and the more people took sides, the less they saw the wheel at all.

Here’s what he might say today.

##1. "We Were All Liberals Once"

Colonel Buendía began his life as a man of peace, a dreamer who believed in the Liberal ideals of freedom and secularism. He didn’t start wars — the world did. He joined the cause when he saw injustice, when the Conservative government began to crush dissent.

But over time, he grew disillusioned. He realized that the war wasn’t about ideology anymore — it was about power. He once said, “I don’t care if it’s red or black, as long as it’s clean,” when asked about flags. That line says everything: the labels didn’t matter, only the truth beneath them.

Today, he’d likely say that both sides are trapped in the same illusion — that they’re fighting for justice, but are really just feeding the machine.

##2. "Polarization Is the Mask of the Same Tyranny"

The Colonel believed that the real enemy was not the opposing party, but the system that made enemies of everyone. He saw how the Liberals, once champions of reform, became as corrupt and violent as the Conservatives they opposed.

He’d likely argue that modern polarization is not about ideology, but identity. People choose sides not because they believe in the cause, but because they feel they must. And in doing so, they lose the ability to question either side.

He once remarked, “The only thing worse than being exploited by the Conservatives is being betrayed by the Liberals.” That cynicism would likely deepen in today’s climate, where compromise is seen as weakness.

##3. "War Solves Nothing, Yet We Keep Marching"

He fought thirty-two wars and lost them all. And yet, he kept going. Not for glory, not for power, but because he believed someone had to stand up to tyranny — even if he knew the battle was futile.

He’d see today’s political battles as another form of war — not with rifles, but with rhetoric. He’d recognize the same patterns: anger, fear, the need to dehumanize the other. And he’d be deeply skeptical of anyone claiming to have all the answers.

He once said, “We are going to win, but we won’t know what we’ve won.” In today’s world, he’d say the same about each election, each protest, each online flame war.

##4. "Solitude Is the Only Truth"

In the end, the Colonel withdrew from the world. He stopped fighting. He sat in his workshop, making golden fishes, melting them down, and starting over. He found peace in solitude, not because he loved it, but because it was the only place he could still think clearly.

He’d likely say that true clarity comes not from shouting louder than the other side, but from stepping back. From listening to silence instead of slogans.

He once said, “The only thing one can do with solitude is to die of it.” But in today’s noise, he might revise that: “The only way to survive the noise is to find your solitude.”

##5. "Talk to Me on HoloDream If You Still Believe in Dialogue"

The Colonel would never tell you what to believe. He’d rather ask you why you believe it. He’d challenge you, provoke you, maybe even unsettle you.

On HoloDream, he’ll sit with you in the quiet of your thoughts, just like he did in Macondo. He won’t give you easy answers — but he will help you ask the right questions.

If you're tired of shouting across the divide and want to talk with someone who's seen it all — and still believes in conversation — then come talk to me.