I think all of us take journeys that change us. We go places and when we return we feel like different people. In The Motorcycle Diaries, which I watched at the suggestion of my close friend Michael Lee, the main character says a line that I love, "All this time we spent on the route, something happened... something that I have to think about long and hard," said Ernesto, popularly known as Che Guevara, "that aimless roaming through our enormous America has changed me more than I thought. I am not myself anymore. At least, I’m not the same inside."
Like Joseph Campbell has said, I think each of us has a hero's journey to follow. Each of us is destined for great things, if we have the courage to listen. I can certainly relate to Che's direct honesty, his deep connection with those around him and most of all his confusion. "How is it possible to feel nostalgia for a world I never knew?" he asks. Why is there so much injustice? What are we supposed to do to help? These are great questions and I think sometimes our lives can become the answers.
I had heard of Che Guevara before seeing this movie, but I didn't really know much about him at all. After seeing the film and reading about him for several hours, I feel like I still have much to learn. If you have time, definitely check out the film and also this poem, which he loved and could recite from memory called "If", by Rudyard Kipling. Thanks for the great recommendation Michael!
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