Hero

Today is the 40th anniversary of Che Guevara's death. All over the world, his life, his contribution are being debated, largely because he achieved iconic status through a photograph. A photograph which has been used in ways so out of sync with what Che believed in, that is almost a mockery of his ideals and what he stood for. Many people have asked me why Che appeals to me, why I think he was a Great Man. He was, after all, pretty vicious and killed and tortured many people simply because he was suspicious of them. He believed that violence could achieve real change, and in nationalisation. His economics are far removed from what my personal beliefs, and my anti-America days are long gone.

But Che is still relevant. To me, he exemplifies what youth can do, if it wants to. Here was this man, with his whole future ahead of him, a bright one at that - a paying career, a pretty fiance - and he gave it all up because he believed in something. He believed, passionately, that he could change things for the better in Latin America. He did truly want to help the poor and disenfranchised. He was a real activist, someone who practiced what he preached. I suppose one could say he had purity of belief.

I know Guevara wasn't perfect. I know he was brutal. But he had the courage to try and change the system. He didn't become a part of it while whining about it. What he saw on that trip affected him, moved him and he didn't lose sight of that, not really. How many of us care enough to give up rewarding careers to help affect change?