A Revolution in the Minds of the People

the AZEL PERSPECTIVE Commentary on Cuba's Future, U.S. Foreign Policy & Individual Freedoms - Issue 406 B

José Azel's latest books "On Freedom" and "Sobre La Libertad" are now available on Amazon.  A Revolution in the Minds of the People (Previously published) Share  Tweet  Forward

In an August 1815 letter to Thomas Jefferson, John Adams reminisced about the American Revolution: “What do we mean by the Revolution? The War? That was no part of the Revolution. It was only an Effect and Consequence of it. The Revolution was in the Minds of the People...”  Adams goes on to wonder about the “Steps by which the public opinion was enlightened and informed concerning the Authority of Parliament over the Colonies.” I often think about this necessary revolution in the minds of the people when considering how sociopolitical and economic change can come about in Cuba after more than six decades of totalitarian rule. Such a change requires a revolution in the minds of the people regarding the theories and practice of government.  We believe that liberty is an aspiration of all human beings. And yet, freedom has been historically rare and continues to be scarce. Most societies have been unable to develop a state with the capacity to enforce laws, resolve conflicts, and provide public services while remaining in the control of an assertive society. Powerful states abound, but many use their power for repression and dominance rather than to promote individual liberties.  In oppressed societies there is a society-wide disconnect between moral thought and moral action. A disconnect, that is, between what people say, and what they do or fail to do. In his book, America’s Revolutionary Mind, C. Bradley Thompson, Professor of Political Philosophy at Clemson University, makes the point that “...individuals must be free to act on their judgement if they are to pursue the values necessary to sustain and advance their lives.” He adds: “Quite possibly the greatest achievement of the American Revolution was to free men to follow the dictates of their own minds guided by unencumbered reason.”  For Thomas Paine, the political theorist and revolutionary author of Common Sense (1776), one of the most influential pamphlets at the start of the American Revolution, the Revolution was about more than independence. It was an intellectual and moral revolution that replaced the “tyranny and the antiquity of habit” that had “established itself over the mind.”  Such an intellectual and moral revolution is one that needs to happen in order for sociopolitical and economic change to come about in Cuba. To be clear, I am not referring to a simple change in government or even to the end of the Castro regime. That may happen without necessarily bringing about the profound sociopolitical and economic changes needed for a free and prosperous society.  An expanded government requires diminished liberty. Any function we ask of government requires us to surrender a measure of our freedom, and our treasure. And yet, many peoples favor an expanded government. When speaking with recent arrivals from Cuba or Latin America, I often hear statements like: Why doesn’t the government do this, or that? It seems that intuitively they favor an expanded government; that is to say they favor diminished liberty.  Underlying this mistaken belief in the role of government is a misunderstanding of the nature of rights. Our natural rights are not created by government nor do they come from history, culture, or religion as dictatorial regimes like to claim. Thomas Jefferson noted: man has rights that “nature has given to all men.” These are natural rights that no government can take away or curtail. These rights are “derived from the laws of nature” and are not a gift from any government.  This understanding of human rights needs to be embraced by oppressed peoples to initiate their societies’ sociopolitical change towards liberty. It is a doctrine of human rights anchored on our freedom to think, and to act as a necessary condition of our human flourishing. During the American Revolution the ultimate goal, as Jefferson put it, was to remove “all arbitrary and unnecessary restraint on individual action,” thus leaving men “free to do whatever does not violate the equal rights of another.”  This is a revolution of the principles, opinions, sentiments, and affections of the people. This revolution in the minds of the people is the lodestar of liberty.  Please let us know if you  this article. We welcome your feedback. Abrazos,  Lily & José  (click on the name to email Lily or Jose) José Azel, Ph.D. José Azel left Cuba in 1961 as a 13 year-old political exile in what has been dubbed Operation Pedro Pan - the largest unaccompanied child refugee movement in the history of the Western Hemisphere.   He is currently dedicated to the in-depth analyses of Cuba's economic, social and political state, with a keen interest in post-Castro-Cuba strategies. Dr. Azel was a Senior Scholar at the Institute for Cuban and Cuban-American Studies (ICCAS) at the University of Miami, Jose Azel has published extensively on Cuba related topics. In 2012 and 2015, Dr. Azel testified in the U.S. Congress on U.S.-Cuba Policy, and U.S. National Security.  He is a frequent speaker and commentator on these and related topics on local, national and international media.  He holds undergraduate and masters degrees in business administration and a Ph.D. in International Affairs from the University of Miami. José along with his wife Lily are avid skiers and adventure travelers.  In recent years they have climbed Grand Teton in Wyoming, trekked Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania and Machu Pichu in Peru.  They have also hiked in Tibet and in the Himalayas to Mt. Everest Base Camp. They cycled St. James Way (El Camino de Santiago de Compostela) and cycled alongside the Danube from Germany to Hungary and throughout southern France.  They have scuba dived in the Bay Islands off the Honduran coast and in the Galapagos Islands. Most recently, they rafted for 17 days 220 miles in the Grand Canyon.  Their adventurers are normally dedicated to raise funds for causes that are dear to them.    Watch Joe & Lily summit Kilimanjaro. Books by Dr. José Azel   José Azel’s writings are touched with the wisdom of a master, and the charm of an excellent communicator. Anyone who wishes to understand why countries do, or do not, progress will find in this book the best explanations. And, from these readings emerge numerous inferences: How and why do the good intentions of leftist collectivism lead countries to hell? Why is liberty not a sub product of prosperity, but rather one of its causes? If it was in my power, this work would be required reading for all college and university students, and I would also recommend its reading to all politicians, journalists, and policymakers. With his writings Azel accomplishes what was achieved in France by Frédéric Bastiat, and in the United States by Henry Hazlitt: Azel brings together common sense with intelligent observation, and academic substance. Stupendous, Carlos Alberto Montaner                                                                    BUY NOW   Los escritos de José Azel están tocados por la sabiduría de un maestro y la amenidad de un excelente comunicador. Cualquiera que desee entender por qué los países progresan, o no, encontrará en este libro las mejores explicaciones. De estas lecturas surgen numerosas inferencias: ¿Cómo y por qué las buenas intenciones del colectivismo de izquierda llevan a los países al infierno? ¿Por qué la libertad no es un subproducto de la prosperidad, sino una de sus causas? Si estuviera en mis manos, esta obra sería de obligada lectura de todos los estudiantes universitarios, pero además, le recomendaría su lectura a todos los políticos, periodistas y policy makers. Con sus escritos Azel logra lo que Frédéric Bastiat consiguiera en Francia y Henry Hazlitt en Estados Unidos: aunar el sentido común, la observación inteligente y la enjundia académica. Estupendo. Carlos Alberto Montaner                                                            Compre Aqui   "Liberty for beginners is much more than what the title promises. It is eighty themes touched with the wisdom of a master, and the charm of an excellent communicator. Anyone that wishes to understand why countries do, or do not progress, will find in this book the best explanations. Stupendous" Carlos Alberto Montaner Buy Now   "Libertad para novatos es mucho más de lo que promete el título. Son ochenta temas tocados con la sabiduría de un maestro y la amenidad de un excelente comunicador. Cualquier adulto que desee saber por qué progresan o se estancan los pueblos aquí encontrará las mejores explicaciones. Estupendo." Carlos Alberto Montaner Compre Aqui   In Reflections on Freedom, José Azel brings together a collection of his columns published in prestigious newspapers.  Each article reveals his heartfelt and personal awareness of the importance of freedom in our lives.  They are his reflections after nearly sixty years of living and learning as a Cuban outside Cuba. In what has become his stylistic trademark, Professor Azel brilliantly introduces complex topics in brief journalistic articles. Buy Now   En Reflexiones sobre la libertad José Azel reúne una colección de sus columnas publicadas en prestigiosos periódicos. Cada artículo revela su percepción sincera y personal de la importancia de la libertad en nuestras vidas. Son sus reflexiones después de casi sesenta años viviendo y aprendiendo como cubano fuera de Cuba.  En lo que ha resultado ser característica distintiva de sus artículos, el Profesor Azel introduce con brillantez complejos temas en  breves artículos de carácter periodístico. Compre Aqui Mañana in Cuba is a comprehensive analysis of contemporary Cuba with an incisive perspective of the Cuban frame of mind and its relevancy for Cuba's future. Buy now Pedazos y Vacíos is a collection of poems written in by Dr. Azel in his youth. Poems are in Spanish. Buy now

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