There are events that last only a few minutes but are experienced for months. The wait is also part of the experience. Sometimes, even more than the moment itself. That's why great celebrations don't start the day they arrive but much earlier. They are prepared, shared, fueled by expectations. Institutions know this very well, and that's why every New Year's Eve, on Saint John's Day, at patron saint festivals, or on so many other significant dates, they organize activities so that the celebration becomes a collective experience.
It is hard to understand that the same has not happened with a total solar eclipse like the one on August 12th. The date and significance have been known for years; we have known for years that Mallorca would be one of the best places in the world to observe it. It was an exceptional opportunity to invite citizens, everyone, to occupy squares, lighthouses, viewpoints, and beaches with moderation, to look at the sky together and turn an astronomical phenomenon into a shared memory. But the narrative has revolved mainly around restrictions, warnings, and extraordinary deployments, even of the army. All of this may have been necessary. But managing an event also means deciding what narrative is built around it. And this is where we have failed.
The public administrations of the Islands have acted as if the main objective was to avoid problems. Which, obviously, must be avoided. But they also had the mission of making it possible for everyone to enjoy an unrepeatable moment. Instead of inviting us to look at the sky together, they have mainly explained to us how we should move on the ground. This is, surely, the lost opportunity.
