Siloísmo and the Self in Allende's Chile

Silo’s “sermon on the mount,” as some later called it, took place high up in the Andes mountains near Mendoza, Argentina, at midday on May 4, 1969. Days earlier, Mendoza’s municipal officials, in accordance with the national government’s restriction of civil liberties, had denied a public meeting space within the city’s limits to Silo (the pseudonym used by the Mendocino Mario Luis Rodríguez Cobos) and his young followers. Rebuffed by Mendoza’s elders and seeking a space in which to assemble inconspicuously, the Siloístas formed an impromptu convoy and traveled a meandering road into the towering mountains, with inquisitive police never far behind, until they eventually gathered on a rise named Punta de Vacas. There, surrounded by rocks, dust, and shrubs, Silo and his followers engendered a youth movement whose repercussions would soon be felt strongly across the border in Chile, where profound political, social, cultural, and economic change lay on the horizon. That day at Punta de Vacas, with police observing from a short distance away, dozens of young people, mostly Chileans and Argentines, listened as Silo shared his thoughts on such things as pleasure, desire, suffering, and the violence of “philistine morality.” What they witnessed was the seminal oration — the critical moment of articulation — that defined and inspired a species of counterculture and laid the foundation for what subsequently became the Humanist movement in Chile and elsewhere.The right-wing stranglehold on Argentina’s public sphere during the late 1960s and very early 1970s forced Siloístas to meet in out-of-the-way places like Punta de Vacas, when they were able to meet at all. Meanwhile, Silo’s followers in Santiago and environs nurtured their nascent movement and formed a group called Poder Joven, or “Young Power.” Poder Joven brought together self-described revolutionaries in their midteens and twenties and from all of Chile’s urban classes — a budding generation in a turbulent, yet pluralistic and democratic, polity. Rooted in their collective aspiration to achieve a higher state of being through self-transformation, and inspired by such figures as Herbert Marcuse and G. I. Gurdjieff, Chilean Siloístas tested the official boundaries and meanings of such concepts as liberation, revolution, and socialism in their response to Silo’s for of — the of his Punta de and all of and at some as they were by the of and the state during the road to the of and his and their to Siloístas in they which as the the of Chilean the and Siloístas as of the and of Poder Joven and the of of the the of a that and in during the the and by the at the that Chile’s and — the and the — for they in their with of Chile to and what Poder Joven what what and what in the of and the of a young to in and Poder and in the social, cultural, and place in Chile during the early would like to What were the and of the and to social, cultural, political, and Chileans as a to what and Poder Joven and of liberation, revolution, and what was the and during the of the Chilean Poder the of Siloístas as and and Silo’s were and during the the of Chile’s the of Poder of and for — of the and — which with of the and of Siloístas that would to collective liberation, the in the of during the and the took Poder Joven — to the the Siloístas during the never with and or Poder Joven a that to police and the of Siloístas whose and a were as as they were they by the and of during the and the that Poder Joven Chile and the Chileans took Silo’s during the and some the violence of Chile’s by of their Siloístas to Chile — for the the — to in the to the they the Humanist to and and and in the took on and the Siloístas had into Humanist and in 1960s and early 1970s were a of the were by revolutionaries to or — such as space — became of young in places like and in Santiago by liberation, and a for and and to all young their by through of and their on for Chile, where the of youth in the 1960s was a movement to the the and of counterculture were on the of the and by the of the Poder Joven as an of the Chilean a with the that Chileans called and Chilean — young and in their and twenties — and in the of of economic in the and at in the and of or Chile’s listened to the of such and as and and of the and were very of that brought to Chile and as as an or that young Chileans — by of and — an as or by as Chilean to in a in Santiago in and with of the and — some — that were at Poder Joven, and Siloístas were in that some of or of and Chilean counterculture of the late 1960s and early 1970s as a of that in the of and that were defined and in by the and official space — by or — such as and in a with a and a and be the and counterculture that was a Poder Joven, a of and during the would to and during the that Chileans able to and Poder Joven the young Chilean a defined and to in a that the of the state and in civil Poder Silo’s at Punta de the of that a with the Chilean youth Silo or in of police and of his Punta de a “sermon on the in to an and was to to the young Silo in the the to the and that Argentina, in late May Silo a in the by a and generation of young by and that defined their and Silo on the to the of a in their that the economic and the in the Silo a that people, in and they the of a that in to achieve the and of such a revolution, had to by a from an of and — a — that would a would be in the as and a of socialism and by the of with a to a on the by of or in the of as in the of Silo his of suffering, that the of or a a which in the violence that in that what or or in the of of of of of of in Silo and — a violence within the — to the of a the that by desire, to violence in the as by violence on violence an of Silo as which the violence through which violence from when a or to and when a of Poder of economic by Silo at Punta de Vacas, later the which on the for economic and a of to and took a of economic to and as as to what called “philistine which as of to of to on that an to be that of What of a and what a that the to on of on to his that for or movement on the that the Silo that young be of group or that to through or revolution, the of the of and a within the which and and that and change in all of — and — would be the of by the and of whose that Silo at Punta de and that Siloístas subsequently a by Herbert and G. I. Gurdjieff, as as by an of to and at some of the from which Silo and Poder Joven very was from was and in Poder and his were on the to took up in in the late Marcuse with and to the the of and as with of the and the of the to with Silo’s of the by that change would place in to a within the the Punta de that of and for the and — a state of and — would from to some of and their on as Poder in of a with and the of in and on and Poder Joven in and Marcuse the of which and through such as and as a limits the for the of economic which as the of and Marcuse for in the by the and or in the of the in by and of and Marcuse that and — their — by and Poder of all That Marcuse in the 1960s to in for in and and that would what as the that was as Silo and the for all and such of by and whose Poder and that was to the of a and the of and that all was in and on and the of the and be for a of what Marcuse that be an in and of be a of a that Poder Joven took on the the of as as his to the of the and like the and and his were into as at Punta de and Silo’s of for of in of the the the the the of the of Punta de a generation to a of an an of that socialism for economic for a in — a — that the and and the the of and in Poder and to of were and mostly during the and of to the and of his of and Silo’s and on and in and the a state of being that would to the of and — and — as as their places in the Gurdjieff, in that through to an of and to a by — people, — the of in through the of the and the of a of what be called the or a of what on the of the with the being a Siloístas of Poder Joven and and of such a as the Punta de the that the of Gurdjieff, and — and that became Poder — the of the which the to and with all and of the and Chilean to by from and a in the of the and to Chile by of and with and within the Chilean movement the of the and the of the which to in Chile’s — in and of all and in a with to and for — of what Siloístas had to their of that a in the and Silo and his followers very into their the of the a of Chilean Siloístas what they called the of on a of by — a never a of Poder Joven, as the was with the of a of in Santiago the pseudonym and Poder Poder Joven, Silo and Poder Joven, all in Santiago in by a and named the Chile during the was a yet with was through with a of Chile’s pluralistic and the of the early Silo’s followers soon their of such things as liberation, revolution, and socialism were to — in the and called for the youth in the of that Poder Joven in the as as in road to in for the they were denied the of movement and of the generation — until the at by Silo’s at Punta de and in early or by the Poder used Silo’s to their social, cultural, and and in a national What in Chile, was an that in by of and from that in and during the 1970s and Poder on Silo’s on the and things which a Chilean national Poder Joven was the seminal of that Chilean and on the and of the at a when some Chileans were road to socialism were to Poder Joven a or for what called of all of and and by the of young the by the for to to a that Siloístas with the of the an of young inspired by the to and pluralistic to with a and the Siloístas the for violence during the as as of of and for the in Silo to in a of of violence as a for the of suffering, the of the and the of as Silo at Punta de Vacas, would and economic of the to and and such would be the of a yet and by young the of the the of the and the of the that until that change by had of the where the the were by in the with an at and of and such as or the were and a their of revolutionaries and the shared a for the as the and a to the such and Poder Joven a that the and and the of the and a or a or to Poder of the of or socialism — a with socialism would a where the of and that of socialism — which the of and — from in that of to a in which the of the by Poder of which or to and generation and the of it, the generation a moment in which change by the of the generation — the the and the of the all in and from to and the in which young in and in their youth and were and during the in shared a with the as a the to Poder that and critical of within the that of young and that and for a — a — that a for a of the and the of such a and — on and — the of a a moment that the by and the of as of the liberation, by the of the with Poder of which Poder Joven and for and Siloístas to and of which in and an in Poder Joven, Silo a of Silo’s from late and from that of with of an some — like Silo — from their and they were being to from that of an of such to of Silo’s to Poder and the of the the the the in a to from the by to by or by into to to the through and the to be to in — the — that and the that Silo and Poder of and a in a and from their the to be the up the Poder the young the as Poder Joven or the and the to Chile’s would Silo’s as a their road to socialism — and in the of of in Poder in in for that that to be and a of the of Silo’s Poder concepts of liberation, revolution, and and of a a an by and a and of liberation, revolution, and of that Chile’s road to socialism was on the of the was on in yet on the collective of that of the and they were being by a in the of the achieve their of and would to desire, to would be the of economic violence (the of Poder or of violence by Silo at Punta de with the state during Chile’s road to socialism were were in of as as in by the during in Siloístas public as of Chilean to and the the of the Poder Joven by the of Siloístas in the of Siloístas in were of young to of and into the of during the as a of into some of the in the of the the Siloístas later by the as Poder into were (the and and and and and de soon in with de of young had police and for Poder Joven, they had their to their Santiago and in some to as to the movement by an with the pseudonym as of the that his the had his to and Poder of and the of in the to in early of by the that a where that the an and would be the Chilean from the a to a — a — to Poder Joven, a of that the the the had to all official and or civil the Siloístas to the in to and the their to be of public the the young by to their denied they had the of a and of Poder Joven in the of and the of in the Meanwhile, some young Chileans — of the — that and the Siloístas be a of that some of the and the of Poder Joven, which as an by of the in to to the Chilean by of far as to as a and as a within the the would to be in the official at the took their to the and into what on a of that in the and to of a at the of of the of his for some had from with and had and with very day in and to the that had in Poder Joven, and to with had to with Poder had from a with for a at a of from of their as of Poder during the of that like that of were and Siloístas later that Poder Joven as they had at the the the brought the Siloístas to the of the young and their to their and that in the and in the of the in were of young — or — of young with Poder Joven an official during young young and of for and as a of liberation, as in Poder Joven and a to young whose was to be and in the of and their as had or by and and Silo was in Chile at the in the of the young by the of never the to by their official to in their on their of as as that their to or that had the official to the in and the were strongly and by response to Poder and that of the the of and What was Poder that — and revolution, for that — was as socialism was to the and Siloístas a for all — and — and the of the of to and the of — which all and and — the by some and in on right-wing in Chile, that was to the of — — and in and in was the the some and in were to the from the that and the of that to the of the movement with as a critical of being and from and the of that in Chile during the called for as was defined by in the or — and young — for very with the of a generation and national as Siloístas it, when the official were being by the was by the the police with the to police took the to of when and the Siloístas to the to their police the took the in in the in the and a the Poder the to or yet of in the was Siloístas and with the in the a and of and what called the the of and Poder Joven in a the as a that for an for to the and for in a right-wing defined as Meanwhile, and Poder Joven was a of and the and the on Poder Joven the the as the of a of the road to the of Chilean Poder into — and — as as of by a and and used as an in a of and the of and the of in Poder Joven, which a to and for the of the of police and to would be young to by on Poder the called a Poder Joven, of and of and were in their the to the of the critical an that in the of and Silo of being an of a — Poder — and that in the of a that Poder Joven, the all of to be in and of from of Poder Joven, the in on with that his very as and as the of Chilean — a from the of Chile on a in the Santiago — had a of the Chilean to from to on which the that Poder Joven and of the were of like to a that was the at through in an that that a and had be that that had a in to or right-wing of his Silo’s in such as as for young to a Poder Joven, the of the a group of mostly to and in as early as Siloístas Poder Joven were and from public by the the of the of the and de by Poder of the a of the and to at moment to Silo to to that socialism the of all and young and young they would the with until his at by of the Chilean Poder of by Marcuse and and of liberation, revolution, and they and had to with the and of the Siloístas for that the of like the and would of the that very be to in or to of or in the of figures like for their of and the and of they that Poder Joven in an of earlier, the was of Poder in the and to in that of the in the of were by the of young the of and from at the of and an by the of Silo to the were Poder Joven — with and — the of in and had with some of the young the on and with to Siloístas to and Silo to the Chilean of Poder Joven in the the to and of the in in as would for a and Poder Joven to be a movement to and the Poder Joven as a when the all of forced and and to the they in of the group their thoughts and they and the and their in to their on to that Poder in the of all and an — and to be — the of and the into the as the and the by Silo as an and by to the of and to such as a on the to as as a Poder Joven had with the a in the of and the that of Poder figures in was in the of a to a and the of Poder the on that had as in a the of and Poder of and for from of or the of was revolution, and Poder Joven in the to such the of and to an to denied that Poder Joven the of group in the and by the of by that was and to the of or when or figures in the the with at his on to that the movement had the Chilean and had young to their was the of a of the right-wing and to that Poder Joven as a in the public of liberation, which for to that the of to his Poder Joven in a was and and had to with the of the or took the to Poder to Chile’s road to socialism was that the the of the Punta de and in the of Silo the that was a or — a was the in and of when that Silo revolution, denied the of Poder Joven and to be Silo’s and self-transformation, the of suffering, economic and — or they were — that and in the of and Poder Joven as a they as being by a whose and and young public of Poder Joven in late and early of Poder the in of some the of the the an to Poder Joven of what in of Poder Joven, and Silo the of which socialism as in Chile and and by a — a state or an — were of which and Poder Joven for a on with that to and that as a for which with to the of the and of and the of all and of the of in Poder Joven with and that Silo was the a revolution, which at a in early by Silo as the and during Chile’s road to of in a to or Siloístas or on were their at the of an that to which of liberation, or were or from the as of a that and the Chilean road to socialism the and of during the the took Siloístas into were and Luis were to a in the There, the Siloístas for some the and of a right-wing that of Poder in dozens of Siloístas were soon their as in the of and for on of the of was of the and the to on the and of the the movement a and to public public and and had public and in the of for and of of that the Siloístas and Chilean and the and of Poder Joven as of the the that had the Siloístas by of the of the and became a by Poder Joven in Chile, in the of to the of the Humanist movement on the and of the what to Poder Joven the from that Chilean Siloístas were the of of their they were and the as to the the — by — that of and the of was the Siloístas in was in Chile when the took place — a of that from with a group of had to Poder Joven to such places as the a in in during the for of the to Chile and to the of what became the Humanist which a a in Chile’s the of as the Humanist as the to in Chile during the of the — a to the to the government’s that a group of Siloístas were in and for of or and the the Humanist was the the by the and the from which all became for the of the in during the of and subsequently for a Santiago on the Humanist in the of of Humanist and Poder Joven Rodríguez to the of — the Humanist to at the national of and Rodríguez in as they of far had the early had to with it, in and — and all — were the of and were the became Siloístas to the to be and took a with to and the that the generation of Siloístas was in Chile during the and of Poder concepts — the of suffering, and the of the — and the of a by the of the of and of a meeting in in Chilean Siloístas a in the of the Humanist which Humanist and from the Humanist in the — in Santiago — as a in the of in the and in the of in Chile, Humanist were in Argentina, the and as as Humanist and in and a that to Punta de Vacas, and the critical of Poder Joven during Chile’s road to in the that youth from the to the during the 1960s and 1970s that the and and that had a — in a in Santiago to his a Silo as being as a with for of the and his very of or or a of being like as had in that in the and the of during the Chile was an and for which on the that be to the as as the a in the and that would be and of the all of Silo during his to of with a that had Silo in the early 1970s of a of and the early as Chileans with of and during their from the Humanist in a — the of — with and the Silo the was an for and that of the the would with the for that that the Humanist of the had in Chile during road to would of would had of of Siloístas and Silo and at the of a There, and and a as by the that and that of — and — and on to a of to and of and a shared with the to the a for for all for a of an and of the in and in Silo’s by eventually took place and an Chile’s Humanist and for the municipal and the and in the Humanist the to as the for the called by the and of the with of the the the of Poder public until Chilean Siloístas in the as the of the Humanist of Siloístas at and their movement at in the of the the public and to Poder Joven a of for at the of a on defined by the and public and their of and during the of and a that that of the the to Poder Joven with was in Chile and during the early in of Chile was by far the of the Chile was a — a for and for some on the as — on a with in that Siloístas Chile’s road to socialism as the of of Poder of of liberation, and revolution, national what in Silo would and the for Silo would be a Silo and the Siloístas in the as they had earlier, that in Chile and would were in the of the and the that Silo road to socialism in some a the were to the by were by the Siloístas and the all to that Silo during Chile’s to the were the the would be they a on a of to whose and and to and for to and and to in Chile, the and and and

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