Warning On The Wall

There is a photo print hanging on our family room wall that can be considered to contain litigious bifurcation. My husband brought this piece home from his art excursion to Cuba. It has always been an interesting study, we keep it exposed and it is one of the first things you see when you enter the front door. It is centered above our couch where most of our living occurs. My husband and I both have had our struggle with this particular piece. I remember a time my husband wanted to sell it and banish it from our wall. His sentiment was rightly justified yet we leave it up as a silent admonition.

I've always wondered what our guests and family think about the figures presented in the photo. I'm sure the photo bemuses some of our friends, "Why do these folks keep a photo of an atheist and a communist on their wall? Are they supporters of such thinking?" I suppose some could see a Nobel Prize winning writer and a Head of State, world stage celebrities in history and leave it at that. Maybe some of the younger generation that come through our doors don't have a clue who these figure are and ignore the photo as wall filler.

Look at these two people captured in a conversation. Each has influence and power. One through the use of language and one through force of will. Both have left their mark on the world and these marks have consequences. What topic are they discussing? Maybe the exchange was as simple as, "See you later." What we do know is shortly after this photo was taken Hemingway killed himself and Castro was dealing with the Bay of Pigs invasion.

'Fidel Con Hemingway' By Osvaldo Salas
1960

I look at this photo as a warning. Atheism and Socialism are sister ideals which works against God and deceptively undermines the relationship between man and man and God and man. I look at the outcomes of these ideals and see destruction, emptiness and pain.

As we live through our appointed course in history and witness the destructive aspects of these ideologies in the world and our own country it causes us to struggle. One must look at reality and embrace the mess we find ourselves in. We can't ignore the reverberations of these models for living and how they effect people.

At times, I too, have wanted to banish the photo that encapsulates the horrors of these ideologies. Why should I give any of my precious wall space to these icons, my home is my safe haven from the world's ills? I certainly do not agree with their thinking. Yet, we must remember the ills are what we fight against. These figures that represent the opposite of what I believe will be used as a reminder of where wrong thought leads and act as an allegory.

So it stays!