Saturday, September 13, 2008

Our Country Is Dying: "Apártame Este Cáliz"

With little food or drinkable water, and in the midst of the worst sanitary crisis in its history, Cuba is on the brink of a major pandemic that could decimate its population and turn it into an insular desert. Cholera, diphtheria, malaria, polio, dengue, TB or even the black plague, diseases which had been eradicated in Cuba before 1959 but which have since made sporadic comebacks, may all be in various stages of incubation at the same time. Like Medieval Europe, Cuba has only fire left to combat such a pandemic. If Cuba soon becomes a great bonfire from one end of the island to the other, it will mean that our country is dying. That will be Cuba's final S.O.S. to the world before the last survivors take to the sea like Pompeii's lost souls.

It may be God's plan that the architect of our destruction should survive it. Certainly it would be the perfect coda to 50 years of favoring the interests of one man over those of an entire people. When God made Israel his chosen people, He did the Jews no favor. Cuba must have become a candidate for divine preferment at some time as well. We got our Herod and our Hitler at the same time and in the same person. The last 50 years have been the best in Israel's history perhaps because God was too busy with us. All there is to say on Cuba's behalf is: "Apártame este cáliz." ("Take this cup from me.")

12 comments:

Vana said...

Yes please take this cup from us, is not 50 years enough for one people to suffer? this tragedy is the last straw, Cuba may never recover from this unless the regime flees, wishfull thinking on my part.

Angel Garzón said...

Manuel, this is one of your best concise posts, I believe it represents the feelings of just about every single Cuban on the planet with the exception being our people's oppressors of course.

Vana, fifty years is a pittance compared to what God's chosen people have had to deal with, one example among many is the time gap that separates the last book of the Bible's Old Testament - Malachi - and the first book of the New Testament - Matthew - which is almost four hundred years long. According to the Messianic Jews (Hebrews who believe Jesus was the Christ promised to them in the Old Testament) the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob did not address or spoke to His people even once during that time span. Let us hope that our people do not have to experience a similar fate, let us also pray that the Lord of Lords and King of Kings either delivers our homeland from its current torment, or that at least the way is opened so that all of us Cubans can do whatever has to be done to rid the motherland of all its oppressing evils.

Vana said...

Angel:

I guess I should have said that 50 years has been a long wait for me.

Anonymous said...

Angel, drop the religious nonsense.

Chosen people? Chosen for what?

Extermination?

That is the only thing the Jews have been chosen for. The rest is just hearsay.

Anonymous said...

Increible! I haven't heard a peep from the mainstream media. 90 miles away and that is how we relate to our neighbors. No wonder none gives a hoot about us.This situation could have been ended many years ago.Please. This is a true crime. God is watching and so are we. Long live the Cuban People!

Anonymous said...

correction above
none= no one

Anonymous said...

Cuba = Atlantis II

Anonymous said...

"Certainly it would be the perfect coda to 50 years of favoring the interests of one man over those of an entire people."

He (it) didn't do it alone.

Anonymous said...

it=fidel

Anonymous said...

Garzon,

Yes, this is Manuel's best post, because he is illuminating what others are ignoring.

Secondly, many of the opressors are Cuban-Americans, like Val Prieto. A man who has long ago scrubbed his soul of his Cuban-heritage. Only using what little that remains, to run a Cuban-themed blog, for nothing more then to enrich himself, at the expense of Cuba herself.

Anonymous said...

Manuel, have you ever thought about writing a book about Cuba?

Anonymous said...

Manuel, have you ever thought about writing a book about Cuba?