Sunday, September 20, 2009

Is 'Freedom' such a hard word to say?



Watching the much antipated and much discussed Juanes concert from Havana on TV...


All the artists talk about "peace".."por la paz"...and so far not one of them has DARED to mention the word "freedom". How coward can they be? They must be so scared to say it...It would have been be so logical...There is no 'peace' without basic freedoms. And in Cuba there are no basic freedoms! 2 and 2 make four....in this case 2 and 2 make 8....


This is proof that it was very 'careful' concert. They did not want to ruffle the government feathers! So it was a coward concert. Dictatorships have that power over us.


And at the end, we must accept the fact that in Cuba there is no freedom, not even for Juanes, Miguel Bose, Aute --- and all those who performed.

Sunday, September 13, 2009

El sentido de lo ´glorioso´


















No se si los niños de hoy son como los niños de ayer. Y lo digo pensando en el 'sentido de lo glorioso' que existía en mi propia niñez. E igualmente en la de mi hermano.

Cuando era pequeña, e incluso cuando comenzaba mi adolescencia, todo parecía llegar a mi vida 'larger than life', enorme, importante --y siempre acompañado de una sensación de sorpresa y de fascinación que cualquier cosa, por pequeñita que fuera, cobraba una gran dimensión. ¡Era realmente maravilloso!

Y quizá sea por esta profunda impresión en nuestro subconsciente que la niñez marcara tanto nuestras vidas ---y que la recordemos con tanto detalle y encanto.

Y por eso me pregunto...¿Todos los adelantos técnicos, y cosas así como los juegos de video, habrán borrado ese sentido de lo glorioso de los niños de hoy?...¿No serán niños un poco 'jaded' por tantas cosas? ¿La imaginación se les atrofiará un poco porque ya todo se lo dan hecho y machacado?...No sé.

No tengo nietos todavía y en el caso de mi hija creo que existió en ella bastante emoción al descubrir la vida. Tenía el estímulo mío y de Orlando, que como padres siempre la incorporábamos a nuestro interesante mundo desde que nació --y el de su abuelo poeta Justo, de quien era la locura; y los cuentos y las diversiones que compartía con su abuela Antonia -- y el mundo musical y hippy que compartía con su tío León. ¡Creo que hasta le sobraban los estímulos!

Pero ahora, no sé. Y me gustaría saber si los niños saben apreciar las sutilezas de la vida como lo hicimos nosotros. Si sueñan con ver algo, o con alcanzar algo. Si las ilusiones son tan profundas. Incluso si los adolescentes sienten el amor y la pasión con la intensidad y la voluptuosidad como lo sentimos nosotros.
Pienso si ese 'barrage' de modernismos técnicos --y el poco tiempo que tienen los padres-- no provocará que se les 'escapen' las cosas --y todo lo vean mucho menos 'glorioso' y mucho menos maravilloso...¡Es que a veces veo niños aburridos y como cansados!...Como si la vida no les interesara mucho --y sus sentimientos carecieran de profundidad...Y me asombra mucho ver fotos de jóvenes que conozco, que parecen estar siempre 'divirtiéndose', con una botella de cerveza en la mano y haciéndoles muecas a la cámara. ¿Qué es eso?

Pienso que el día que tenga nietos conoceré esta respuesta. Sin duda algún día lo sabré. ¡Y ojalá no me decepcione mucho!

Friday, September 11, 2009

People who like dictators and bullies





It is not because I am Cuban --and learned about these people when I was very young and just starting my life as a adult-- that I despise dictators, bullies and tyrants.

It is not because I learned about them and their actions first hand, day to day, surprised and wide/eyed when I was hit every day by a new blow.


It is not only because I saw the fear in my mother's eyes when she was unable to protect her children from enormous waves of injustice. No, there is much more to that...


I hate dictators, bullies, tyrants and liars because they go against the grain of life and all possible human decency. They stand against freedoms of all kinds. They create obedience through fear. Fear of jail and fear of losing jobs and livelihoods. And because they boldly rely on their power, their guns and their government machinery to create great fear in millions of us. And that is intolerable.

Look at the history of dictatorships throughout History! And today look at the arrogant attitude of the Castro brothers -reigning over Cuban lives like old fashioned kings of a corrupt medieval dynasty. And look at the disgusting arrogance of 'uber' bully Hugo Chavez, parading himself around like a God because he owns oil and rich Venezuela.

And still --and this is incomprenhensible- there are people who LIKE these characters! People who must be very coward themselves because they admire and look up to bullies who impose their agendas through violence! People who using a false attitude of liberalism admire these horrendous tyrants --- a la Oliver Stone and many, many more....How can they even try to justify them?

So today, as I listen to the name of the almost 3 thousand victims of the savage attack on September 11, at the ruins of the World Trade Center, I wonder how some people can love and admire these obvious examples of the very worst.

It just blows my mind.

Saturday, September 5, 2009

The Breeze of Summer



There is a Summer breeze that I have always loved.

Is not hot and fiery, but warm and soft. It feels like Summer, but it does overwhelm you, nor burn your brain and your heart. It passes by, undoing your hair a little, caressing you sotfly, warming up your skin ever so lightly ---as it reminds us that Winter is just around the corner, but we still have some great Summer days ahead.

It is the Summer breeze typical of the Hamptons. (And maybe the key to its idyllic charm?)... And of Manhattan on those glorious days when we all remark "Isn't this a beautiful day?". And today has been one of those days!

It is a soft Summer breeze that makes us feel more at ease with humanity. More relax. Less uptight or tense. A breeze that defies stress and provokes in all a delicious 'laissez faire' mood.

I am so happy to be able to differentiate these little things that life brings around. So satisfied of enjoying these subtleties.

Did I feel this way when I was much younger and lived in Cuba, always outdoors, swimming, climbing tress, riding bikes, running around at 500 miles an hour, and taking huge gulps of my land and my city, not even realizing how hot it must have felt?

Probably yes. My upbringing made me a happy observer of everything around me. And this curiosity had never left me. This is definitely the clue to my youth!