Che

Just finished watching Motorcycle Diaries, about the youthful exploits of Che Guavara and his friend as they travelled across the length of South America. I looked him up online, and found this great article on his life from TIME>

Perhaps in these orphaned times of incessantly shifting identities and alliances, the fantasy of an adventurer who changed countries and crossed borders and broke down limits without once betraying his basic loyalties provides the restless youth of our era with an optimal combination, grounding them in a fierce center of moral gravity while simultaneously appealing to their contemporary nomadic impulse. To those who will never follow in his footsteps, submerged as they are in a world of cynicism, self-interest and frantic consumption, nothing could be more vicariously gratifying than Che's disdain for material comfort and everyday desires. One might suggest that it is Che's distance, the apparent impossibility of duplicating his life anymore, that makes him so attractive.

This little paragraph reminds me of myself and my tendency to be highly attracted to great men and women who have made great sacrifices and taken great risks, and yet, here I am, a young man who has borne little sorrow or sacrifice in my 22 years. How hard it is to actually jump!