By Jan Vicente B. Pekas
From reading about the bloody and ruthless world of gangsters to a magical fantasy realm that came solely from the imaginations of one person, fictional stories in books have been a great way to properly spend my days. For years, fiction has been the type of stories I preferred, to see the capabilities of one person’s imaginations and how it can creatively form a story that hooks you late into the night. A world that was beyond my own, always seemed the more attractive choice.
It wasn’t until recently that I tried out a book from the non-fiction section. It was during my early college days where my own imaginations were running wild and with the recent scandal of the flood control issues and just the overall state of this nation, all of which formed the perfect surrounding to read about the more radical people in history. Everything seemed to line up because I had just recently learned about a man named Che Guevara at that time. So, the moment to transition over to the non-fictional stories and try out a different genre, seemingly occurred as the stars had aligned.
Reading about another person, an idea I previously thought to be as boring as reading the newspaper, turned out to be better than expected. Very much so if that biography is about the adventurous life of Che.
To read about a prominent person, one that has made an impact in the same world you live in is a different feeling, something that makes you think that a major shake up in the world is possible. That a single person can make his way to a life of adventure and rebellion. Two things that very much defines the mindset of college aged youths.
Cuba today, the same country that Che had given much of his life for, is on the backfoot, under siege by American sanctions and living in a state of hardship. But I look at the many people who are influenced by a single man. So many posters, wallpapers on their phones, insignias, contain his face with his iconic beret. His philosophy has very much survived to this day and so many people have had the directions in their lives influenced by him. Whether that leads to a free Cuba or another exciting life of adventure and rebellion in another continent remains to be seen.
I have yet to finish his story, but from reading a chunk of that book, I have realized that such a grandiose goal, like creating a communist paradise on earth, lies more in the realm of dreams rather than our planet. But that does not mean a person’s dream dies with him. From the actions of Karl Marx to Lenin and to Che, their ambitions of fighting against imperialism and creating a communist society did not die with them, rather, it was passed from one person to another, regardless of the difference in era and continent.
Dreams do not die so long as one picks up the baton and continues the struggle. It may span centuries and consume much blood, but even the grandest of dreams can be snatched from the realm of dreams and placed in our own reality. **
