Fidel, an Enduring Guide and Example
From Commander in Chief Fidel Castro, the foremost leader of the Cuban Revolution, we Cubans learned that, in order to move forward together, we must combine our strengths and rise above the challenges we face each day. Our patriotic traditions embody the courage and bravery of a people that has offered inspiring examples at various stages of its history.
He taught us about the deep roots that underpin our principles. Love of the Homeland was the first sentiment we learned from the heroes of the war for independence that began in 1868, because respect for individuals and their fundamental rights are values inherited from the moment the slaves were emancipated at La Demajagua. Fidel repeatedly stressed the importance of studying and delving deeply into our history in order to draw lessons from it and prevent painful mistakes from being repeated.
On many occasions, he called on us to maintain an exemplary moral attitude at all times. And he reminded us: “We have seen men make incredible efforts and sacrifices for certain ideas, for certain moral values. We must turn to those values.”
He also entrusted us with the important mission of combating the social ills that cause so much harm, but made clear that this had to be a mission undertaken by everyone and for everyone. For the Revolution, the common good is shared, communal, living, and forged insofar as it contributes to the fulfillment of others. Through his example, he also taught us that the ethical root—sustaining and nourished by the earliest games, by man’s original homeland, by the sediment of the Homeland—must remain indestructible.
He made us dream of a present better than the day before and achieve it, while also encouraging us to keep dreaming of an ever-better future. His optimism in achieving our goals brought us together, and we grew alongside him.
How could we not dream at his side, and continue dreaming today, now that he is no longer physically with us, of this Cuba of books and poetry, with the passion of its founders? Because that Cuba lives in the hearts of the ordinary, credible women and men who accomplish heroic deeds every day with the little we have. There can be no better tribute, no higher banner, than our freedom sustained by the dignity, honesty, integrity, and decency to which Army General Raúl Castro called upon us.
It is then, too, that the words of José Martí—whose undeniable bond with Fidel transcends the distance of time—take their rightful place, helping us find the sense of honor and the indispensable light in those men “who carry within themselves the dignity of many men,” capable of rising up with terrible force, because within them “an entire people goes forth, human dignity goes forth.”
And, as Fidel instilled in us, revolutionary faith in our collective potential is thus renewed. That unstoppable force, the lifeblood of determination, good customs, and an ethic grounded in sacrifice, in the Apostle’s “love for living humanity,” and the spiritual transformation of every person shaped by the Revolution, in Che’s vision of the American future.
Translated by Luis E. Amador Dominguez
Photo: Fidel, soldado de las Ideas
