Two elements or more coincide when they come together to form something in common. Thus a confluence occurs when uniting different realities. It can be used to refer to natural elements (for example, the confluence of waters from different sources in a single bed) or to allude to the fusion of other ideas in a shared project.
the confluence of rivers
When the beds of two or more rivers come together, the so-called confluence occurs. In general, there are two types of fluvial confluences: the tributary and the mouth. In the first case, a secondary river or tributary flows into a main river and the exact place where the union between the two occurs is known as the confluence. The mouth is the final part of a river, where its waters are discharged into the sea or another larger river. In short, the confluence of rivers involves the meeting of different riverbeds.
It should be noted, on the other hand, that the phenomenon of the confluence of two rivers depends on the speed and temperature of the water in each of the beds, which is why some confluences become curious fusions (for example, the Negro river is found as the Solimões river and its union is known as “O Encontro das Águas”).
The fusion of ideas and creative currents
Different currents of thought or artistic manifestations are subject to a process of permanent change. Thus, two different positions can be merged into a new project.
There are several historical examples of which a confluence process occurs
If we think of Latin American Christianity, it is a religious phenomenon that brings together two great traditions: European Catholicism and pre-Columbian culture. Likewise, in the literary movement of Magic Realism , two traits also converge: real everyday life and a different dimension, the magical world.
In the field of politics and social movements, many associations are formed through different currents or groups that come together to create a broader project. In this way, on the same left-wing political platform , feminist, ecological groups, unions, etc. can converge.
In any of its concrete manifestations, the concept of confluence is associated with the idea of union. Of course, several streams of thought can come together as long as they have elements in common.
However, on occasions two totally different currents can come together, as happened with Social Democracy, an ideology that combines two traditions: socialism and the liberal democratic tradition.
