Cuba Si
I'm happy the conversation about Cuba has come to the forefront. It's about time we recognize that the people of Cuba deserve to live in a free society. Lifting the embargo will propagate commerce and open lines of communication. We are the closest, most influential neighbors Cubans have and a friendly relationship with them will make a positive difference in the quality of our lives; the American and Cuban.
Most of you know I'm in the process of developing my Costa Rica properties. I thought Costa Rica was going to be the closest I could ever get to living in a paradise like Cuba. Imagine my elation when I heard President Obama announce his stance on opening a dialogue with the Castro brothers.
My cousins, the Ticos (Costa Rican nationals), currently offer me the cultural stimulus I long for; the Spanish language, the tropical landscapes and the warm, friendly people. However, knowing that I may soon travel to or even live freely in my homeland once again has ignited a bonfire of energy in my heart. I will continue with my Costa Rican adventure and watch closely as the Cuban dream unfolds. Once it is there for the taking, I will certainly be on a flight to Havana!
Yes, let the old story go. We can not grow and thrive if we keep living in the past. My family fled Castro's Cuba in 1961 because my father was on the watch list for anti-revolutionary activities. He was leading a group of activists with a mission to ferret out the communists in Fidel's regime. In the dead of night, without saying goodbye to anyone, my parents packed 2 suitcases, grabbed my brothers and me, and boarded one of the last Pan American flights out of Cuba to the U.S. The alternative would have been to stay behind and chance Dad's arrest by Fidel's people; the inhumane interrogation and possible firing squad that may have followed.
This drama revolving around Cuba is quite a story with it's cast of villains and heroes to make it interesting. My family decided to leave Cuba and create a new chapter in our lives by moving to the U.S. Living in this free country, we could thrive, our voices could be heard and we could say and write whatever we wanted about our government. Here, we could be free to agree or disagree with our leaders.
I love seeing everyone's comments about President Obama's decision to encourage an open dialogue with Cuba. Some hate his stance and others love it. I happen to agree with him. How long are we supposed to hold a grudge. My parents Cuba was left behind more than 50 years ago. Today it has morphed into a mishmosh of socialistic, black market capitalistic ideals secretly debated amongst highly artistic and intellectually rich Cubanos waiting for us to wake up and smell the coffee. Oh, and they are waiting for us on a tropical island paradise while we struggle in a concrete jungle.
We are the new generation of Cuban-Americans. We can make a difference in our Cuban brother's lives as they can in ours. Come on now, kiss and make up. Say you are sorry and mend the fences. Yes, we can forgive Fidel Castro. He is about to meet his maker and I think he'll be dealt a fair and even hand by the Supreme Spirit. Let's leave the Judgement to Him- that's really not our job.
Our job is to appreciate the blessings we were fortunate to enough to experience by living in this country. It has allowed us to develop our adventurist and entrepreneurial spirits. My Dad had a saying, "Even communism would work better in the U.S." I believe what he meant by that was that the American culture, at its core, believes everyone has a right to live by virtue of their their heart; their soul. No communist can ever take that away. They can box you into a job, a place to live, dictate what you can say or not say; however, they can never box in your soul. Noone can ever shut down your true essence; your spirit, because that my friends, belongs to God. That piece deep down inside our hearts is part and parcel of the Universal All and no little dictator could ever match the Omnipotence of our Supreme Energy.
This Energy reigns free in every human being on this planet. Whether they live in China, Iran, Afghanistan, Israel, Costa Rica, Cuba or wherever else you can imagine. My parents taught me that I was fortunate enough to grow up in one of the greatest countries in the world. Now that they are gone; their freedom spirit rings loudly in my heart.
I am someone who is willing to come to the table and discuss misunderstandings, someone who is willing to show my vulnerabilities and admit I may not have all the answers. Sharing my life experiences with my brethren may teach him to grow and prosper. And maybe his shared experience with me may teach me to appreciate family and nature. Why keep each other in the dark about our truths? Why continue to stand on the side lines watching the people of a nation suffer because their leader made some bad choices a long time ago? Heck, the leaders that placed the embargo against Cuba are dead!!
Everybody grows and everybody dies, life is meant to change along the way, otherwise, it becomes stagnant. Let's move forward and open up this dialogue, let's keep the Cuban American spirit alive.
And in the meantime, let's go visit Costa Rica! Come join me on my next Absolute Best Costa Rican Retreat! See my other blogs about our next trip!
Most of you know I'm in the process of developing my Costa Rica properties. I thought Costa Rica was going to be the closest I could ever get to living in a paradise like Cuba. Imagine my elation when I heard President Obama announce his stance on opening a dialogue with the Castro brothers.
My cousins, the Ticos (Costa Rican nationals), currently offer me the cultural stimulus I long for; the Spanish language, the tropical landscapes and the warm, friendly people. However, knowing that I may soon travel to or even live freely in my homeland once again has ignited a bonfire of energy in my heart. I will continue with my Costa Rican adventure and watch closely as the Cuban dream unfolds. Once it is there for the taking, I will certainly be on a flight to Havana!
Yes, let the old story go. We can not grow and thrive if we keep living in the past. My family fled Castro's Cuba in 1961 because my father was on the watch list for anti-revolutionary activities. He was leading a group of activists with a mission to ferret out the communists in Fidel's regime. In the dead of night, without saying goodbye to anyone, my parents packed 2 suitcases, grabbed my brothers and me, and boarded one of the last Pan American flights out of Cuba to the U.S. The alternative would have been to stay behind and chance Dad's arrest by Fidel's people; the inhumane interrogation and possible firing squad that may have followed.
This drama revolving around Cuba is quite a story with it's cast of villains and heroes to make it interesting. My family decided to leave Cuba and create a new chapter in our lives by moving to the U.S. Living in this free country, we could thrive, our voices could be heard and we could say and write whatever we wanted about our government. Here, we could be free to agree or disagree with our leaders.
I love seeing everyone's comments about President Obama's decision to encourage an open dialogue with Cuba. Some hate his stance and others love it. I happen to agree with him. How long are we supposed to hold a grudge. My parents Cuba was left behind more than 50 years ago. Today it has morphed into a mishmosh of socialistic, black market capitalistic ideals secretly debated amongst highly artistic and intellectually rich Cubanos waiting for us to wake up and smell the coffee. Oh, and they are waiting for us on a tropical island paradise while we struggle in a concrete jungle.
We are the new generation of Cuban-Americans. We can make a difference in our Cuban brother's lives as they can in ours. Come on now, kiss and make up. Say you are sorry and mend the fences. Yes, we can forgive Fidel Castro. He is about to meet his maker and I think he'll be dealt a fair and even hand by the Supreme Spirit. Let's leave the Judgement to Him- that's really not our job.
Our job is to appreciate the blessings we were fortunate to enough to experience by living in this country. It has allowed us to develop our adventurist and entrepreneurial spirits. My Dad had a saying, "Even communism would work better in the U.S." I believe what he meant by that was that the American culture, at its core, believes everyone has a right to live by virtue of their their heart; their soul. No communist can ever take that away. They can box you into a job, a place to live, dictate what you can say or not say; however, they can never box in your soul. Noone can ever shut down your true essence; your spirit, because that my friends, belongs to God. That piece deep down inside our hearts is part and parcel of the Universal All and no little dictator could ever match the Omnipotence of our Supreme Energy.
This Energy reigns free in every human being on this planet. Whether they live in China, Iran, Afghanistan, Israel, Costa Rica, Cuba or wherever else you can imagine. My parents taught me that I was fortunate enough to grow up in one of the greatest countries in the world. Now that they are gone; their freedom spirit rings loudly in my heart.
I am someone who is willing to come to the table and discuss misunderstandings, someone who is willing to show my vulnerabilities and admit I may not have all the answers. Sharing my life experiences with my brethren may teach him to grow and prosper. And maybe his shared experience with me may teach me to appreciate family and nature. Why keep each other in the dark about our truths? Why continue to stand on the side lines watching the people of a nation suffer because their leader made some bad choices a long time ago? Heck, the leaders that placed the embargo against Cuba are dead!!
Everybody grows and everybody dies, life is meant to change along the way, otherwise, it becomes stagnant. Let's move forward and open up this dialogue, let's keep the Cuban American spirit alive.
And in the meantime, let's go visit Costa Rica! Come join me on my next Absolute Best Costa Rican Retreat! See my other blogs about our next trip!
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