Temperamental Old Coots

Temperamental Old Coots / Anddy Sierra Alvarez
Posted on August 16, 2014

The issue is not just about winning the argument with the United States.
It's also about a legacy created 55 years ago. Of what use to us are
their perspectives, when ambitions fade with the passage of time"

The leaders of Cuba are well past working age. Small changes occur at
the hands of his brother, Raúl Castro, another long-lived individual who
has lived his life and realized the goals he set for himself. What are
his ambitions today?

The Cuban desires progress and is at the mercy of old men. Are they
perhaps different from others of their age group? As far as I know, an
old man does not have the same drive as a young person who is just
beginning to face the challenges of the future.

We are held captive by the arbitrariness of a bunch of
geezers…grandfathers once restless in their youth, who now penalize
behavior such as they once exhibited…backed up by a poorly-told history
that makes heroes out of many, mercenaries out of others, and of those
who were not part of their elite group, not even in the shadows are they
mentioned. These were members of their beloved and novel revolution.

Their rhetoric is one of equality, yet those who surround them enjoy a
level of prestige difficult to achieve. They play at showing solidarity
with other peoples, while they trample on their own
citizens…self-elected, with no regard for the wishes of their
constituents…identified with power, owners of the Island, governing with
an ideology that only they believe in…but supported by
fellow-travellers, else they would not still be there.

Obsessed with the actions of successive presidents of the United States,
to discredit them – and monitor their popularity – is part of their
sense of aliveness.

Ready to cease existing when Nature decides, so go the whims of one-time
youths who today are in their terminal phase. In the meantime, their
legacy has elapsed – in caprice, and much political pride.

Translated by: Alicia Barraqué Ellison

15 August 2014

Source: Temperamental Old Coots / Anddy Sierra Alvarez | Translating
Cuba -
http://translatingcuba.com/temperamental-old-coots-anddy-sierra-alvarez/