The Country Under My Skin

I literally (about five minutes ago) finished a memoir by Gioconda Belli entitled A Country Under My Skin-- long-story-short is that she played an active role in the Sandinista revolution in Nicaragua. This is her memoir about her time as a Sandinista, a mother, a lover and a fiery type of woman that I can only hope to be one day. I am overflowing with emotion and thoughts at the moment, but I wanted to share a piece of her writing from the last page of her memoir because it spoke so strongly to me:

I dare say, after the life I have lived, that there is nothing quixotic or romantic in wanting to change the world. It is possible. It is the age-old vocation of all humanity. I can't think of a better life than one dedicated to passion, to dreams, to the stubbornness that defies chaos and disillusionment. Our world, filled with possibilities, is all and will be the result of the efforts offered by us, its inhabitants. Just as life was a consequence of trial and error, the social organization that brings us the full realization of our potential as a species will issue from the ebb and flow of struggles we jointly undertake across the globe.

The future is a construct that is shaped in the present, and that is why to be responsible in the present is the only way of taking serious responsibility for the future. What is important is not the fulfillment of all one's dreams, but the stubborn determination to continue dreaming. We will have grandchildren, and they will have children too. The world will continue, and whether we know it or not, we are deciding its course every day. 

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The Country Under My Skin 

by Gioconda Belli