By Alberto Reyes Pías
I Have Been Thinking About How the Truth Remains Necessary, Even When Speaking It Comes at a Price
There are moments in the life of a nation when speaking the truth can be uncomfortable, dangerous, or costly.
It is then that the temptation arises to remain silent, to grow accustomed to lies, or to repeat what others want us to say. But imposed silence never changes reality; it only conceals it.
We Cubans know this experience all too well. For decades, we have learned to weigh our words carefully, to remain silent about what we truly think, to raise our hands in “unanimous” agreement, and to reserve the truth for the privacy of family and friends, while nothing around us changes for the better.
A society that wants to rebuild itself must begin by calling things by their true names. Not to search endlessly for someone to blame, nor to fuel hatred or revenge, but to acknowledge what is evident.
A society that wants to rebuild itself must recognize the suffering caused by injustice, the lack of freedom, and the absence of opportunities.
A society that wants to rebuild itself needs the truth because it is the only way to open a path toward something different. A wound that is denied cannot be healed. A house cannot be rebuilt by pretending it was never in ruins.
Fear may force us into silence for a time, but it cannot turn a lie into the truth. And it is impossible to build a free society on the obligation to pretend that everything is fine.
Speaking the truth does not mean shouting, insulting, or destroying those who think differently. The truth can be spoken firmly and, at the same time, respectfully. The truth does not require an aggressive attitude. It is enough for it to be clear and to reveal reality as it truly is.
Speaking the truth comes at a price, but remaining silent about it also comes at a price. The difference is that the price of speaking the truth may lead us toward a new future. The price of accepting lies is to surrender that future in exchange for a life of mere survival that remains miserable.
Speaking the truth can coexist with the fear of speaking it. We do not need to stop being afraid before we begin to tell the truth. We only need to keep fear from holding us captive, from making our decisions for us, and from becoming stronger than our desire for freedom.
Cuba does not simply need to change certain structures. It needs to recover something much deeper: the ability to look at its own reality without fear, to speak about it without disguises or pretenses, and to regain confidence that we Cubans can build a different future together, one in which everyone can live better, even if we do not all think alike.
In the heart of every Cuban, the longing for freedom is alive. And one of the first signs that a people is beginning to reclaim its freedom is when its men and women begin to call things by their true names.