Crossing the Uncertain Path of Life - Cuba (Part 6)

Transposing emblem by Marilin Guerrero

Trying to predict el futuro is like sailing the ocean with no compass to guide our ship. We are surrounded by nothing but water and darkness and still we hope there’s land and light somewhere in the world. Inevitably, there are momentos in our lives when we are just sailors following la dirección of the wind, with no specific harbor to dock in but seeking un destino nonetheless. We spend days, months, and years sailing around, thinking carefully about every step we have taken in the past and what our future steps will be. We become desperate trying to figure out what is going to happen next. Whether we are going to get the job we were applying for just two weeks ago. Whether we will be able to afford la casa we have dreamed of our entire life. Whether we are going to die in a car accident tomorrow or from the disease we have lived with since we were a child. If we are going to end our relationship just because of the fight we had yesterday or if the partner we have now is going to be by our side when we get older and physical beauty no longer exists. These are some of the questions we ask ourselves time and again, in the inquisitive search for the right answers, or at least the answer that can define our lives.

Cienfuegos, Cuba – Surfing at the square

Countless times I have found myself in this situación, trying to puzzle things out, meditating on el futuro because it’s really hard not knowing, living in incertidumbre (uncertainty). Los humanos are designed to fear the unknown, to fear anything that entails a change just because we don’t want to break out of our zona de confort, that place where we feel familiar, at ease and in control of what is happening in our lives. But wouldn’t it be easier if we just lived in the moment without caring so much about our future?

Santa Clara, Cuba – Waiting

I’m not saying that we shouldn’t imagine what nuestro futuro may be like. I know for sure that we must believe in our dreams so that we can accomplish them. There’s a famous quote by Abraham Lincoln that says: “The best way to predict your future is to create it.” Therefore, I strongly believe that we should fight as long as we can for what we want in life because it’s the only way we can make our dreams come true. I believe in the power of our minds and the law of attraction. But I also believe we should enjoy every single minute of our lives without waiting for something to make us happy. There’s another quote I really like. It says: “Happiness is not something you postpone for the future; it is something you design for the present.” There’s no better compass to sail el océano with. If we can head our ship in that dirección, our harbor will be the strongest one on earth and our ship will definitely never sink.

Trinidad, Cuba – In the wall

When we focus all our attention on el futuro, we miss incredible oportunidades both professionally and personally. That’s why I think we should embrace those challenges we are afraid to face as well as embrace those changes we are terrified to make. We shouldn’t feel intimidated by los obstáculos we may find in our way; we should learn to overcome those obstacles even without being absolutely certain about our destination. From all las dificultades I’ve gone through in my life I’ve become stronger, wiser and more self-aware of the things that really matter to the heart: amor, familia, friendship, health. These are the priceless things in our lives, the ones we should fight for, the ones we should enjoy today without thinking about mañana.

Havana, Cuba – Two orishas – Riderfoot

Of course we want to know what is going to happen in el futuro so we can be ready for any dificultad that may arise. Thus, it gets harder for us to make decisions when we are not sure about the consequences of our actions. But las decisiones are always hard and challenging. We can never know if we have made the right one. We are all humans, and it is just part of our lives to be wrong and make mistakes. But in the end, we can actually learn from our mistakes and uncertainties. We should have more trust in our instintos, our emociones, our sentimientos. We shouldn’t doubt when making a decision, whatever the results could be. We will wind up benefiting from the outcome, one way or another. Everything is not always about being certain. So, rather than predicting our future, we can adapt to living in incertidumbre.

Havana, Cuba – Fishing on the Malecon

The key to coping with uncertainty is trying not to resist it. We are all aware that life is full of uncertain momentos and, although we try hard, we cannot avoid them or fight against them; instead we should learn to embrace them. Darkness shouldn’t be a stop on our way to find light and land while we sail in our ship. That’s why I believe that we should be challenged all the time at work, at school and at home, so we can be prepared and react to the new and tough situations in which we may find ourselves crossing the uncertain path of life. We should show resilience despite all los problemas we go through, all los momentos we feel deprimidos y miserables, all the drama and las experiencias negativas. We can finally make it if we are just able to see hope when there’s nothing around us to believe in. That is the essence of what life is about. Believing: that is the essence of what life will always be. Don’t you think?

Marilin Guerrero

Havana, Cuba – Downtown

Credits

Photo 1: Havana, Cuba – On the street – Oriole Gin

Photo 2: Cienfuegos, Cuba – Surfing at the square – RCH Photo

Photo 3: Santa Clara, Cuba – Waiting – adamico

Photo 4: Trinidad, Cuba – In the wall – Brians Photos

Photo 5: Havana, Cuba – Two orishas – Riderfoot

Photo 6: Havana, Cuba – Fishing on the Malecon – Kamira

Photo 7: Havana, Cuba – Downtown – adamico

Photo 8: Trinidad, Cuba – In the morning – adamico

Trinidad, Cuba – In the morning

Locations

Real: Postcard emblems in The Codex of Uncertainty Transposed and The Anthology of Global Instability Transposed on display at 1080

Virtual: www.perypatetik.net

Social: Cinemblem (cine emblem) at www.facebook.com/Perypatetik

The Codex of Uncertainty Transposed

Cordido, Veronica. The Crib of Uncertainty – Venezuela. January 2018.

Goumiri, Abdennour. Uncertainty Is All There Is – France. February 2018.

Lozano, Gabriela. El cuchillo de la incertidumbre : Piercing Uncertainty – México. January 2018.

Samir, Ahmed. Uncertainty in Personal Life. January 2018.

Quintero, Jonay. The Fear of Not Knowing – España. January 2018.

Forthcoming

Translators and writers in Uruguay, Greece, Italy, Czech Republic, Cuba, Paraguay, Argentina, Germany, Romania, Spain, America, Britain, and more…