Don Quixote: when dignity refuses to accept reality

According to several reputable sources, "The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha" is the most widely read novel in history. But what is the most famous work of the Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra about?

First, a brief biographical note about the author of this immortal work: Miguel de Cervantes was born in Alcalá de Henares in 1547, the son of the surgeon Rodrigo and Leonor de Cortinas. He studied Humanities, traveled to Italy, and fought in the famous Battle of Lepanto, where he sustained three gunshot wounds—two in the chest and one in the left hand. This earned him the nickname “the one-handed man of Lepanto.” He experienced poverty and was imprisoned. He wrote other well-known works. He died in 1616 and is regarded as the founder of the modern novel.

Let’s consider his creation: Don Quijote de La Mancha is not only one of the greatest works of universal literature. It is also a profound reflection on the power of ideas, rebellion against conformity, and the human capacity to confront a reality that seems unchangeable.

Miguel de Cervantes created a character who, at first glance, lives outside of reality. Alonso Quijano looks at windmills and sees giants; he gazes upon inns and believes he discovers castles; he encounters a mundane society and decides to behave as if honor, justice, and the duty to protect the weak still exist.

There begins the true greatness of the character. Don Quijote does not accept the world as it is. He judges it from the perspective of how it should be.

That gesture has an enormous philosophical dimension. Every human transformation begins precisely there: when someone compares reality with an ideal and discovers that there is an intolerable distance between the two.

It is like comparing what Cuba experiences with the nation dreamt of by Martí, or even with the country described by the regime's propaganda that has destroyed it. Such a comparison compels anyone with honor to become a modern Don Quixote.

Resignation says, "That's just how things are." The quixotic spirit responds, "They don't have to remain this way. We must fight to change them."

There is also a powerful political reading in the novel. Unjust systems often survive not because they are invincible, but because they manage to convince citizens that it is futile to confront them. The strongest power is not always the one that has the most soldiers, prisons, or resources, but rather the one that successfully embeds in the collective consciousness the idea that nothing can change.

That is why all authoritarianism, at its core, fears dreamers. It fears the individual who begins to envision a different society. It fears those who uphold their principles when fear, opportunism, or indifference prevail around them. It especially fears those who manage to transform a personal conviction into a shared hope.

Don Quijote fails many times. He receives blows, mockery, and defeats. Nevertheless, he always rises again; he does not give up. Today, many Cubans surrender, discouraged by the first adverse wind, the first obstacle, a slander, a intrigue, or a disappointment.

There appears their motivational dimension. Human history is full of men and women who were considered naive before being recognized as visionaries. Many achievements that now seem natural—the abolition of slavery, civil liberties, universal suffrage, democracy—began when minorities chose to confront realities that seemed eternal.

Naturally, Cervantes also gives us a warning. Ideals require intelligence. Willpower needs prudence. Don Quixote needs Sancho Panza as much as Sancho needs Don Quixote.

The perfect combination may just be that: one person's ability to dream and the other’s practical sense.

A society formed solely by Sanchos risks becoming complacent in the face of any injustice as long as it has food and peace. A society made up only of Quijotes could get lost in impossible dreams. But when idealism is united with reason, perseverance, and organization, the forces capable of transforming history emerge.

Four centuries later, Don Quijote continues to ride because what he represents still exists. Each generation finds its own giants.

What truly matters is never losing the ability to distinguish between resigning to injustice and having the courage to try to change it. Because often, defeat does not occur when a person falls, but when they renounce their values and allow their great dreams to die.

Cuba needs many Don Quixotes today.