The houses were made of clay, but they were not poor in meaning, but rather rich in the morals and values ​​they contained, similar to clay in its purity and stability. Its walls were simple, but within them were preserved honest upbringing, relationships based on respect, and a life that did not need falsification in order to be upright. In those homes, a person was raised before he grew up, educated before he was asked, and refined before he was held accountable.

We learned there that respecting the elders is not a heavy duty, but rather a normal behavior. The elder was a value in and of himself, respected for his experience, and listened to for his silence before his words. Respect was not imposed, but rather practiced, as if everyone realized that the time that passed for the elders was a school not taught in books. The little boy learned this by observation, not by orders, and a deep appreciation for everyone who preceded him in life grew within him.

We also learned that the teacher has a position that no one can compete with, as he is not a transmitter of knowledge, but rather a creator of awareness, a model of behavior, and a mirror of the values ​​that we grow up with. His word is respected, and his boundaries are preserved, because education is a message, not a passing task, and because whoever teaches you a letter leaves an impression on you that time will not erase. Knowledge was sanctified, and whoever carried it was empowered.

As for women, respecting them was an established nature, not a slogan raised when needed. Because she is a mother, sister, and partner, and because she is the soul and pillar of the home. One of the manifestations of that respect was that she was called in a manner befitting her position, without vulgarity in speech or excess in calling. Names were said with reverence, or replaced with a nickname that preserved the position, not to belittle her, but rather to glorify it. This was not a social complication, but rather a reflection of a collective awareness that sees respect as a language before it is an attitude, and makes the word a measure of morality before it is just a voice.

In those homes, you did not wait until we grew up to learn that lying is unacceptable, and that hypocrisy is even more unacceptable. The young child was raised to be honest from his first steps, and understood that lying not only hurts others, but also weakens the one who tells it and reveals his inner self. We knew that one face was the path to peace, that double behavior was unnecessary fatigue, that clarity was comfort, and honesty was safety.

At work, as well as in the details of daily life, we have learned that conscience is the compass, and that an honest start is the shortest path to mastery. Work was not a burden to be borne, but rather a value with which we expressed ourselves, and a love we cultivated in what we accomplished, no matter how simple. We believed that work without conscience was emptiness, and that effort without sincerity was noise that left no trace. We begin our work with pure intention, and we end it with the conviction that we gave what we could without circumvention or pretense. We were not looking for applause, because inner satisfaction was enough, and mastery was self-respect before it was a commitment to others. Thus, conscience, honesty in the beginning, and love of work became a beacon by which we were guided, and a clear path that did not need embellishment.

Life at that time was not perfect, but it was straight. Mistakes existed, but admitting them was a virtue, and retracting them was strength, not weakness. Conscience was present, directing behavior without supervision, and controlling behavior without threat. People dealt honestly, because values ​​were not a choice, but a way of life.

Today, when we recall the image of the houses that were made of clay, we realize that what we long for is not the walls, but rather the human being shaped by those walls. We long for an upbringing that does not compromise, for respect that does not change with changing interests, and for work that leads with love and conscience. The houses were made of clay, but they were made of human beings who knew the meaning of respect, hated lying, abhorred hypocrisy, and left behind a pure trace similar to their beginnings.