The Sound of Tearing Down Walls

Today is the 20th anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall. There have been a few events in my lifetime that have had a collective impact on my generation and this was one of them. I often think about my own life and how different it would've been had my parents decided to stay in Cuba. I think my dad would have ended up in jail. Not so much because of political or ideological beliefs, but because he is not much on following silly rules imposed at random. He also talks way too much. Don't get me wrong, much of my parent's success can be credited to my dad's slow and persistent following of the rules. He pays his taxes, he pays his debts, he saves his money. He is however also a risk-taker. When the opportunity to buy the apartment building we lived came up, he moved heaven and earth to make it happen, taking on no less than three loans. When a business opportunity arose, he took the plunge. When the business partner left, my dad learned the business through sheer will. The business slowly evolved into a financial structure capable of supporting his family, mine and the families of all employed. This only came about because my dad was able to express himself. He could voice his dreams and opinions a loud and find like-minded individuals who helped him along. This is what freedom means. This is not possible in a country who basic principles are founded on fear and intimidation. This is not possible in Cuba or in China or in Iran.

Among the many discussions my father and I have had about communism and totalitarianism, we had concluded that it is much better to be poor and to have hope than it is to barely have your basic needs met while being striped of your human essence. Of course this lead to the question, what makes us human? I think that although we share many things with the animal world such as our maternal instincts, our need to socialize, our need to protect our own, we also stand apart. We need to share ideas and thoughts. As humans we need to be able to express our creativity, through music, song, dance, paint, the written word. This is what makes us human. So what happens in a country where these needs are not met, are not allowed to be expressed, are not allowed to flourish? Well, eventually you will have one person rebel, then you'll have two, then you have four, eight and so on. Following the laws of motion, once the momentum picks up, you have ordinary people tearing down walls.

This weekend in Cuba, a woman, Yoani Sanchez, in her thirties was briefly kidnapped and beaten, along with her husband and a another woman. They are bloggers. It's that simple. They write about their discontent. They write about their daily life, just like you and I do. They write from their front porches, their balconies. I write from the warmth and comfort of my bedroom. What makes us different is the small and simple fact that my dad chose to leave, her dad chose to stay. Would I be as courageous as she and so many other are? I couldn't tell you. You see it's very easy to be out spoken in a country where I feel for the most part very secure. I live in a country where I can speak freely and openly. I can criticize the government, the president and everything in between without fear of kidnapping, without being beaten and without fearing for my children's well-being.

It never failed to amaze me when so called Republicans and so called Christians endorsed with fervor Bush policies that stripped people of their basic rights to freedom and representation. The arguments that these people are evil, or that they are the enemy is ludicrous. People who break the law should be punished, yes, even severely, under the law. Once we, as a society allow our government to slide down the slippery slope of withholding freedom for this individual or that person because they are perceived as a threat, then we are no better than the Castro brother's regime. Yoani Sanchez is perceived as a threat. I believe she is a threat to Cuba's aging and failing government. More than a threat, she is a human being. Through her courage and perseverance she and so many like her, are starting to tear down that invisible wall of fear.

I send my prayers out to her, to those marching on the streets of Iran and to so many others who voices we have yet to hear. You have a right to be heard and I for one am listening.