On the 52nd
anniversary of Ernesto Guevara’s death, we recall the question posed by Fidel:
“What do we want our children to be?” And the answer: “…Like Che”
“I am” or “I will be” is perhaps the most
recurrent personal dilemma, in terms of revolutionary ethics, that Che’s memory
provokes.
This challenging question weighs heavy in the
hearts of conscious individuals, well aware of the living force of Ernesto
Guevara’s impeccable example.
It is clear, first of all, that this is not a
question for everyone, since he does not mean the same thing for everyone. A
man becomes a symbol only for those who share his dreams, while for others he
is simply an historical figure, albeit a renowned one.
Che speaks to us in many ways, as a legend, a
leader, soldier, companion, father, a natural man.
Nothing in his life or work needs an
explication to defend its value. He did not need it when he was alive, when his
posture and acts spoke for themselves, even as a developing young man. Much
less later, after his ascension from the world of the living, to that of those
who live forever.
From Rosario's boy to Bolivia's guerrilla
leader, he constantly took on colossal challenges. He responded to his asthma
by climbing mountains. To heal the sick? He swam across a jungle river. To
understand the pain of his people? He rode a motorcycle across the feverish
continent. To help remedy this pain? He gave himself in battle, embarked on an
overloaded yacht, fought, and succeeded, making the Revolution that would begin
the continental rebellion, in which he already knew he would die.
Fidel posed the question: “What do we want
our children to be?” - those who we are now, and our own. “We want them to be
like Che.”
This is the issue today: Asking ourselves if
we are or will be like him, is to understand that the question is not to choose
today or tomorrow, but to always be frank, bold, industrious, supportive,
critical, decisive, and of course, sensitive dreamers committed to the common
good, because seeking individual happiness in itself is not genuine. It is only
true when, like the world’s eternal guerrilla, it has a collective soul and a
vocation for humanity.
- Socialism and man in Cuba ~ Ernesto
Che Guevara
- The Cadres: Backbone of the Revolution ~ Ernesto Che Guevara
