My First Year: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

A year ago today, I started this blog to share with the world what has been, for as long as I can remember, a flame burning inside me; my love for my Cuban heritage and for Cuba. It has been quite an experience, and one I could classify as the good, the bad, and the ugly.

The Good:
Since my first essay a little over a year ago, The Tribe of Cuba, I have had the pleasure, and the honor, of meeting some incredible individuals. From former Cuban political prisoners, to people from all over the world who have never seen Cuba yet feel an incredible allure to its amazing history and its more recent and tragic past.

It has been nothing less than astonishing to speak to a person who has suffered the indignities and humiliation inflicted upon them by the totalitarian regime in Cuba. Their anguish is such that I will never be able to fully comprehend what they went through. And yet, their eyes still sparkle when they speak of our homeland. And in those that have taken up the cause of Cuba’s freedom for no other reason than the pursuit of justice, I see a dedication to freedom and liberty that is the basis for what is right in this world.

From the two extremes and between them, I have experienced what is a true love for freedom.

The Bad:
But these epiphanies were not all pleasant. Along with these wondrous revelations came the painful shock of the suffering inflicted upon my Cuban family. On a surreal night in July of 2007, the pain of my Cuban brethren became more real than ever. I realized that those who had fought, had struggled, and had paid the ultimate price for their freedom were not just names on a page—they were Mothers, Fathers, Sisters, and Brothers. They ceased to be strangers, and in what could only be described as an existential experience, they became my mother, my father, my sister, and my brother.

My newfound connection to my Cuban heritage not only brought me closer to the joy of being Cuban, it also brought me closer to the pain of being a Cuban.

The Ugly:
Along with the joys and the pains of my year, came the ugly realization that in this world some truly contemptible individuals exist. Along with the hundreds of e-mails I have received in support of my blog, and the many extraordinary people I have met these past 12 months, I have also come in contact with some despicable individuals. These are the ones that feed off of human suffering, and in particular, the suffering of the Cuban people. They all try to hide behind different facades, but there is no façade that can hide the reality of their vile existence. 

Their goal has always been to discourage me, but they are unable to comprehend that it is they who give me the greatest inspiration of all; while there are those that are willing to help a murderous regime oppress the country of my forefathers, I will not cease to tell the world of the injustices taking place on the island that should be my home.

I alone can only do so much, but as the great Cuban Apostle, Jose Marti, said: “It is a sin not to do what one is capable of doing.”