Poverty Versus Wealth

Poverty Versus Wealth / Fernando Damaso
Fernando Damaso, Translator: Unstated

An acquaintance of mine boasts about having suffered from hunger during
his childhood and adolescence—noting that he even had to rummage through
trash bins—and the poverty that his family experienced. This used to
earn him the compassion of a majority of people. By coincidence his
mother heard about this one day and angrily assured us, "He was never
hungry because his father and I always worked. And he never lacked shoes
or education either." After this we had less respect for him. It is a
true story and his mother told us this in 1970.

For dozens of years this country has officially promoted poverty,
praising it as though it were a virtue, and has discredited wealth,
going to absurd lengths to penalize prosperity. This has been done both
on a national and international level. According to this "philosophy,"
anyone who is poor, no matter the cause, encompasses all the positive
attributes possible: nobility, modesty, intelligence, a courageous
spirit of sacrifice, tenderness, loyalty, solidarity, honesty, etc.
Anyone who is wealthy or prosperous, no matter the cause, encompasses
all the negative attributes possible: arrogance, ostentation,
haughtiness, envy, cowardice, immorality, dishonor, disloyalty,
harshness, brutality, etc.

So deeply has this absurd "philosophy" seeped into the minds of many
citizens that, without realizing it, they react negatively to all those
who, with talent, ability hard work and determination, are able to
create prosperity and wealth, even under difficult Cuban conditions.
They support all measures to "clip their wings" because, in their minds,
anyone who prospers does so through illegal means, and only in poverty
is legality possible. Given this philosophical mindset, it is no wonder
that the national economy is in a shambles, and that the country has
been and is in a crisis situation that has lasted for more than fifty years.

Poverty, no matter how much it is praised by those who have never been
poor, only generates more poverty and misery, while wealth generates
more wealth and prosperity. This is the reality. There are many
examples, but they are invisible to those who do not want to see them,
either through inability or convenience. If we hope to move forward and
achieve development, we must reverse the equation. We must penalize
poverty and promote wealth. The more wealth increases, the more poverty
decreases, putting the country on a straight and stable path. Promoting
wealth does not mean making hundreds or thousands of citizens rich, but
rather allowing everyone to prosper without so many obstacles. Building
a strong and thriving middle class should be the goal of every nation.
This is the case in the richest countries of the world. They are not
rich because they have a lot of millionaires, but because they have a
large middle class whose reach extends throughout society and exerts a
beneficial influence on it.

This was the trend in Cuba before the process of "devolution" began.
Today we are turning to an evolutionary necessity in order to survive as
a nation. Profound economic, political and social changes, combined with
a new way of thinking, provide the only solution.

September 11 2012

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