The old man and the sea

The old man and the sea

By: Cristiana Guevara Mena

The Old Man and the Sea is a story written by Ernest Hemingway in 1951 in Cuba, and published in 1952. The story is about a fisherman, an old man, with very little strength to continue his work. There was a young man who would always help him, even though his parents took him away because of the old man’s bad luck. However, he would always be willing to help, care for, and learn from the experience of the old man, even if his new employer obtained abundant fishing. Later on, the old man goes into the high seas by himself after 84 days without catching anything. Finally, he finds a huge fish, which would solve all of his problems, and that would restore the glory of his past. After a lot of struggle and suffering, he gets hold of the fish, which is even larger than the boat itself. During the trip back to land, the old man meets several sharks that are attracted by the blood and, little by little, devour the fish until it’s meatless. When the old man returns, the fish is completely unrecognizable; sharks have eaten all his bowels until there was nothing left, only the skeleton. Despite the apparent failure, the old man, thanks to his feat, regains the respect of his peers and reinforces the admiration of the young man who decides to fish back with him.

For too long, our Nicaraguan elderly people have had a "bad streak" of luck in search of their pension that is due to them. So far, they have been unable to get anything, just like the old fisherman in the story. These seniors, because of their advanced age, have very little strength to continue working, and deserve a worthy break. Unfortunately, given that their right to peace has been taken away from them in the fall and winter of their lives, they have heroically decided to go out to sea with all the risks involved, such as the strong winds and dangerous tides of their surroundings, in search of their huge fish in order to live peacefully during the time they have left.

The struggle of our senior citizens has been against storms, floods, and windstorms in order to fish the old age insurance that they have always deserved. Unfortunately, the great fish that assures their old age insurance has been devoured by sharks of the various governments during the past thirty years. There are also other sharks with large jaws and fangs, including the Army and some private enterprises, who have not paid what they owe to social security. We have seen how these beasts have torn the poor fish apart unscrupulously to fund their political propaganda, without any regard for the old man who has battled storms to get his fish. There is nothing left but a meager skeleton, leaving the old man to his fate with the solitude and anguish of the open sea.

Our elderly people, with their struggle for their rights to a decent life, have taught the young and all the people that the values ‌‌of justice, labor and perseverance are lifelong. They teach us that consciences are not purchasable, and to settle in fear of dishonesty and abuse of authority is unacceptable. They are willing to battle for their beliefs and convictions until the end. We must recognize that they are a generation who will always remember the values of fair and honest work in order to continue living. These are values ‌‌that in our time have been lost because of the corruption and lack of credible authority that are seen in every corner of the nation. This happens so frequently that we see it as something natural. Our elders, with their fight against injustice and fidelity to their memory and values, have given us citizens a life lesson and a model of conduct that is not purchasable even with all the gold in the world.

Even if our elders do not return from their fight in open sea with the big fish in their boat (it being very likely that the fish will be destroyed by sharks), they are already victorious in the eyes of our youth and people. We all need to be like the young man of the story that helped and learned from the old fisherman. Let us accompany them in their fight against the raging sea sharks and take their experience as life lessons that will last us forever. It’s with a fighting and firm spirit, like the old fisherman in the sea, that we can change our reality. Our seniors are leaving us a legacy of action and firm principles that are not seen anywhere. They have earned our respect and admiration. They are unquestionably our most precious treasure, and have fought and suffered enough. Let’s defend them against wind and storms, just like in the novel The Old Man and the Sea.

El viejo y el mar

 El viejo y el mar

Por: Cristiana Guevara-Mena

El viejo y el mar es una historia escrita por Ernest Hemingway en 1951 en Cuba y publicada en 1952. La obra habla de un pescador, ya anciano, con las fuerzas muy reducidas para seguir con su labor. Había un joven que siempre lo ayudaba a pesar de que sus padres lo hubieran retirado por la mala racha del viejo. No obstante, estaba siempre dispuesto a ayudar, cuidar y aprender de la experiencia del viejo, aún si con su nuevo patrón obtuviera abundante pesca. Entonces, el viejo se mete solo mar adentro después de 84 días sin pescar nada. Finalmente, encuentra un pez enorme, que solucionaría todos sus problemas, y que le devolvería la gloria de sus tiempos pasados. Tras mucho luchar y sufrir, consigue hacerse con el pez, que es incluso mayor que la propia barca. Durante el trayecto de regreso a tierra, el viejo se encuentra con varios tiburones atraídos por la sangre, que poco a poco van devorando al pez hasta dejarlo sin carne. Cuando el viejo regresa, el pez está totalmente irreconocible, los tiburones se han comido todas sus entrañas y ya no queda nada, solo su esqueleto. A pesar del aparente fracaso, el viejo, gracias a su hazaña, recupera el respeto de sus compañeros y refuerza la admiración del joven que decide volver a pescar con él.

Nuestros señores nicaragüenses de la tercera edad han pasado ya demasiado tiempo de “mala racha” en busca de su pensión que les corresponde. Hasta el momento no han podido conseguir nada, como el viejo pescador de la historia. Ellos, debido a su avanzada edad, se encuentran con sus fuerzas muy reducidas para continuar trabajando y merecen un digno descanso. Lamentablemente, en vista que les han arrebatado el derecho al sosiego en el otoño e invierno de sus vidas, de forma heroica han decidido meterse mar adentro con todos los riesgos que eso implica, contra el viento fuerte y marea peligrosa de su entorno, en busca de su enorme pez para poder vivir tranquilos en el tiempo que les queda de vida.

La lucha de nuestros adultos mayores ha sido contra tormentas, diluvios y vendavales para poder pescar el seguro de ancianidad que siempre han merecido. Lamentablemente, ese gran pez que les asegura su vejez, ha sido devorado por los tiburones de los distintos gobiernos que han pasado de turno en los últimos treinta años hasta la fecha, para satisfacer sus propios estómagos. También son tiburones de grandes mandíbulas y colmillos algunos de la empresa privada incluyendo al Ejército, que tienen años de no pagar lo que deben. Hemos visto cómo estas fieras han despedazado al pobre pez sin el menor escrúpulo para también financiar sus propagandas políticas, y sin la menor consideración con el viejo que ha luchado contra tempestades para poder hacerse de su pez. Ya no queda más nada que un raquítico esqueleto, dejando al viejo a su suerte a las soledades y angustias del mar abierto.

Nuestros señores de la tercera edad con su lucha por sus derechos a una vida digna, nos enseñan a los jóvenes y a toda la población, que los valores de justicia, trabajo y perseverancia son de toda la vida. Que las conciencias no son comprables, y que conformarse bajo el miedo de la deshonestidad y abuso de autoridad es inaceptable, y están dispuestos a dar la batalla por sus creencias y convicciones hasta el final. Reconozcamos que son una generación que guarda en su memoria el trabajo justo y honrado para vivir dignamente. Estos son valores que en nuestra época se han perdido a causa del vacío de autoridad creíble y corrupción que hoy se mira en cada rincón de la nación, sucediendo con tanta frecuencia que hasta lo vemos con toda la naturalidad del mundo. Nuestros ancianos con su lucha contra la injusticia y la fidelidad a su memoria y valores, nos están dando a toda la ciudadanía una lección de vida y de conducta que no se compra ni con todo el oro del mundo.

Aún si nuestros ancianos no regresan de su lucha en mar adentro con el gran pez en su barca, y lo más seguro es que ese pez se encuentre destrozado por los tiburones, ya son victoriosos ante los ojos de nuestra juventud y pueblo. Es preciso que todos seamos como el joven del cuento que ayudaba y aprendía del viejo pescador. Acompañémoslos en su lucha en alta mar contra los rabiosos tiburones y tomemos su experiencia como lecciones de vida que nos duren para siempre. Es con espíritu firme y luchador como el del viejo en el mar que podamos cambiar nuestra realidad. Nuestros ancianos nos están dejando un gran legado de acción y de principios firmes que no se ven por ninguna parte, se han ganado nuestro respeto y admiración. Indiscutiblemente son nuestro tesoro más preciado, y ya han luchado y sufrido suficiente, defendámoslos contra viento y marea, como la novela de El viejo y el mar.

Thriller (English version)

Thriller (English version)

By: Cristiana Guevara-Mena

"Thriller" is one of the most famous songs of the King of Pop, Michael Jackson. The music video for this song is about corpses that rise from the dead to the sound of music, come out of their graves in a very frightening way, and become zombies, crawling through the streets in search of fresh human meat to stay alive. The most important part of this video is the synchronized choreography of a group of zombies that at the same time are dancing with the star Michael Jackson, who also becomes an otherworldly character.

These images remind us of Nicaragua's political class, whether they are in government or part of the self-called "opposition". They are nothing more than political corpses walking in search of blood to suck to stay alive. The zombies that are better off are the current rulers, since they have spent years sucking the blood of the State, but are so blackened with corruption that their stench of death can be smelled even from a distance. Likewise, the politicians who were born from former opposition are like the walking dead coming out of their graves, just like in the video of Michael Jackson, who want to return to acting on firm land. Most likely they will continue leaving the pieces as they progress.

This way, the old guard who was once government has become a sorry excuse for opposition, in other words, political corpses. Let’s understand that a political corpse is a person who shamelessly survives with lies and alms, who doesn’t struggle for ideals, and who acts according to the interests subjugated to the will of someone else. It’s someone who does not face reality, but hides behind those who do. Today, some of these zombies without scruples or decency want to stand as the owners of legitimate protest and truth. This happens because they live surrounded by other parasitical zombies that everyday sweeten their ears and raise them to the horns of the moon and beyond, and if possible, they compare them to God. If we observe the behavior of these pitiful people, we notice that in their lives they contributed little or nothing to the country, only speeches and nothing but words without value or consistency.

When these deadly characters try to interest themselves, or return to politics as the only saviors and redeemers of the country, they seem like those dead people from the Michael Jackson video, who push out their semi-boneless and rotten hand out of the land where they were buried, and wobble about looking for living flesh to eat and blood to suck. These individuals, besides scaring with their dead-like faces, make fools out of themselves by trying to pretend to be the salvation of a nation. They would be much more decent if they resigned themselves to staying in the respectable silence of their graves so that flowers could grow on their land.

There are a variety of zombies. One of the losers is the robust one, who was able to decide who would occupy this or that seat, who will be a candidate for deputy or vice president, and so on. There are others who speak of legitimacy and accuse other equals of corruption. Nevertheless, they occupy a seat in the National Assembly and dance to the music of money that other zombies, in turn in power, play for them. They are like the small group of mummies of the music video dancing a grim, gray, stinking, and synchronized choreography, in order to drink the blood of the state to stay alive. They have believed that they can give us democracy lessons, but please…they are more laughable than pitiful.

We’ve had enough of selfish, wandering, dead governing us, that only seek their own interests, even if it means sacrificing the flesh of the people. It’s necessary that we finish off these poorly resurrected bodies, so that those of us who are alive and want a better Nicaragua can govern. As a people, we must fight for our beliefs, and do so with courage, strength, safety, and in the public eye, in order to not continue the bad example of the political living dead. We must act responsibly as citizens aware of our rights, so that we don’t allow ourselves to be subjugated or  humiliated by anyone. The political bodies should not be more than a bad memory that we fear, or a video that entertains us as the famous "Thriller" by Michael Jackson.

"Let the dead bury their dead." - Jesus in the Gospel

Thriller

http://www.laprensa.com.ni/2013/08/31/voces/160665-thriller

Thriller

Por: Cristiana Guevara-Mena

“Thriller” es una de las canciones más famosas del rey del pop Michael Jackson. El video musical de esta canción se trata de unos cadáveres, que al son de la música que suena, salen de sus tumbas de una forma muy aterradora y se convierten en zombis, arrastrándose por las calles en busca de comer carne fresca humana para mantenerse vivos. La parte más importante de este video, es la coreografía sincronizada de un grupo de zombis que a su vez bailan con el protagonista Michael Jackson, que también se convierte en personaje de ultratumba.

Estas imágenes nos recuerdan a la clase política nicaragüense, tanto los que están en el gobierno, como los auto llamados “oposición”. Todos ellos no son más que cadáveres políticos andantes en busca de sangre que succionar para mantenerse vivos. Los actuales gobernantes, son los viejos zombis más acomodados, puesto que llevan años chupándole la sangre al Estado, pero están tan ennegrecidos de corrupción que hasta hieden a muerto a la distancia. Asimismo, los políticos que nacieron de una antigua oposición son como los muertos ambulantes que salen de sus tumbas, como en el video de Michael Jackson, que quieren volver a actuar en la tierra. Lo más probable es que sigan dejando los pedazos a medida que vayan avanzando.

Así, la vieja guardia de lo que un día fue gobierno, se ha convertido en un lamentable pretexto de oposición, es decir, en ambulantes cadáveres políticos. Entendamos que un cadáver político es quien sobrevive vergonzosamente con la mentira y por su limosna, no lucha más por sus ideales y actúa en función de los intereses sometido a la voluntad del otro. Es alguien que no da la cara y se esconde detrás de quienes lo hacen. Hoy día, algunos de estos zombis sin escrúpulos ni decencia quieren erigirse como los dueños de la protesta legítima y la verdad. Esto es así porque viven rodeados de otros zombis zánganos que todos los días se encargan de endulzarles el oído y elevarlos hasta los cuernos de la luna y más allá, y si es posible hasta compararlos con Dios. Si observamos la conducta de estas lastimosas personas, notaremos que en su vida poco y nada aportaron al país, sólo discursos y nada más que palabras sin valor ni consistencia.

Cuando estos personajes difuntos intentan insertarse o volver a la política como los únicos salvadores y redentores de la patria, parecen de aquellos muertos del video de Michael Jackson, que sacan su mano putrefacta y semi deshuesada de la tierra donde estaban sepultados y salen tambaleándose en busca de carne viva que comer y sangre que chupar. Estos individuos además de asustar con sus caras de muertos, hacen el ridículo al intentar aparentar vigor para la salvación de una nación. Serían mucho más decentes si se resignaran a quedarse en el silencio respetable de sus tumbas para que crezcan las flores encima de sus tierras.

Hay una variedad de zombis, entre los perdedores está el robusto o quien podía decidir quién iba a ocupar esta banca o aquella, quien va a ser candidato a diputado o vicepresidente, etcétera. Hay otros que hablan de legitimidad y acusan a otros iguales de corrupción, sin embargo estos ocupan una banca en la Asamblea Nacional y bailan al son del dinero que le tocan los otros zombis poderosos de turno. Son como el grupito de momias del video musical que bailan una coreografía sincronizada, sombría, gris y pestilente a cambio de beber la sangre del Estado para mantenerse vivos. Estos han creído que nos pueden dar clases de democracia, pero por favor… dan más risa que lastima.

Ya es suficiente que nos gobiernen muertos egoístas deambulantes, que solamente buscan su propio interés, aún si eso implica terminar de sacrificar la carne del pueblo. Es necesario acabar de una vez con todos esos cadáveres mal resucitados, para que gobiernen los que verdaderamente tenemos vida y queremos una Nicaragua diferente. Como pueblo debemos luchar por nuestras convicciones, y hacerlo con coraje, firmeza, seguridad y a la luz pública, para no continuar con el mal ejemplo de los muertos vivos políticos. Debemos actuar con responsabilidad como ciudadanos conscientes de nuestros derechos, que no nos dejamos someter o humillar por nadie. Los cadáveres políticos no deben ser más que un mal recuerdo que nos da miedo, o un vídeo que nos entretiene como el famoso “Thriller” de Michael Jackson. 

"Deja que los muertos entierren a sus muertos." - Jesús en el Evangelio

The Elephant and the stake

The Elephant and the stake

By: Cristiana Guevara-Mena

Have you ever wondered why an elephant doesn’t escape from a circus? Well, it turns out that they take a baby elephant and tie it with a rope or chain to a stake buried in the ground. Being still a baby elephant, no matter how hard it pulls the rope or chain that is tied to the stake in order to break loose and escape, it can’t because it doesn’t have enough strength. As it grows, the elephant becomes convinced that it cannot come loose, and it gives up trying. When the elephant is big, even with all the strength that implies it can pull out the stake and run, it doesn’t, because it is resigned to the fact that it cannot escape from the circus, because ever since it was a baby, it could not get loose from that stake.

As a people, throughout our history, we have lived in an environment of outrageous corruption and injustice on the part of our leaders. It's happened for so long that we see it as something natural. The poverty that we live in everyday is seen with such normalness that we don’t even notice it; it has become our daily bread. Political leaders abuse us in any way possible, break the law, and do dirty tricks from their positions, and we see it the same way that elephants see the circuses in which they live. Apparently, it is a fact that we cannot change, because they have tried to convince us that we are weak and incapable of transforming our reality. The circus owners of the moment have tried to tame us to the point that we should give up trying to break free.

Currently, the circus impresarios think they can always live off exploiting and abusing the elephant in order to generate profits, so that their circus stays standing. They believe that the abuses, threats, and economic asphyxia that they give the people will serve as an elephant’s stake in order to keep them trained and obedient. According to them, these tactics will be useful to them all the time. However, to their own regret, they do not count on the elephant being conscious of its own size, capacity, and strength to loosen the stake, destroy the whole circus, and incidentally crush them. This way of keeping the people tied down will not last for long.

The lashes used to domesticate the people, such as: the unfair raising of the price of electricity, water, telecommunications, and other public services, have reached the point of being unaffordable for the vast majority of the population; the conditional employment in exchange for loyalty to the party; and, especially, the plague of corruption spread to every corner of the state institutions. These whips that are used against the people to keep them tamed and tied to their stake of poverty and misery will not last long. The tamers of beasts believe they are invincible, when they are actually fragile and frightened, and are afraid of the greatness of the elephant. That's why their battering will not be enough to keep the elephant as a prisoner tied to the stake. There is no consistency in the tamer, nor in the stake. Now, the elephant is big and has all the force necessary to destroy everything that suppresses its freedom.

In order for the people to come loose from the stake, they must be aware of their own strength and size. They are no longer a baby elephant that can easily be fooled by being tied to a stake in which they could not break loose from. Now the elephant is so big and strong that it can destroy the whole circus of corruption, subjugation, and poverty that surrounds it. We have such strength as people that there is no stake strong enough to keep us prisoners and domesticated by mere beast tamers who actually are more afraid of us than we are of them. They know very well that they are but trifles next to the big elephant. We must see that the stake we are tied to is just that, a stake. All it takes is for the elephant wake up, take strength, destroy the circus, and be free, like every elephant should be.