Fidel Castro's lasting legacy will forever endure

Cubans on Jan. 1, 2017 observed the 68th anniversary of the triumph of the revolution led by Fidel Castro on that date in 1959 - but for the first time without him.

There were no statues or giant portraits of Fidel. Instead, there was a giant replica of the Granma, the motor boat he and the other revolutionaries left Mexico in six decades earlier in 1956 to lunch the second - and successful - plan to overthrow the repressive U.S.-backed regime in Havana.

In keeping with his final wishes, there was very limited emphasis on Fidel. But how easy will it be to ever de-emphasize, decelerate or understate the monumental global legacy he left?

When he died last November at age 90, the elder Castro had survived countless assassination attempts and outlived eleven U.S. presidents.

Fidel lived and died a total enigma - loved and hated, envied and detested, but also well respected. Most Cubans never expected to ever hear his death-announcement. But die he did - and cry did many.

The Cuban Revolution's leader elected to reject a state funeral. Instead, he wanted to be cremated and have his ashes returned to Santiago, where the revolution he led had started.

His brother Raul indicated that Fidel had dictated that "once dead, his name and likeness would never be used on institutions, streets, parks or other public sites, and that busts, statutes or other forms of tribute would never be erected."

Fidel's wishes are now law. His name and images won't appear anywhere (in Cuba). But it will be absolutely impossible to prevent him from remaining an internationally renowned progressive political personality.

Cubans who care to never forget him (or allow him to be forgotten) will now forever hold on to all their private memories - portraits and posters, books and speeches and other memorabilia.

It is argued that Fidel willed what he wanted the way he did, to avoid becoming subject to the idolatry of personality cultism.

The term "Cult of the Personality" does have its negative connotations. But it cannot be applied to anything about Fidel Castro and cannot be used to describe anyone professing to admire Fidel more than any other revolutionary leader.

This is simply because no one who truly admires Fidel for who he was - and still is, in their minds - can ever turn him into who he was not.

Fidel's final wishes are being respected. But he could not have intended that anyone should have to avoid (or stifle) stating or showing very strong levels of reverence for him, simply for fear of being accused of deification or venturing into creating a cult out of his personality.

Honoring Fidel's final wishes, however, must be balanced against the need to ensure that his example is one that can always be pointed at and shown to generations of Cubans and world citizens to come, as a sample and example of humanity always worth emulating.

The simple and undeniable truth is that Fidel Castro and Personality Cultism are miles apart.

The high degree of natural reverence, devotion and homage that grew and lived with him from 1952 to 2016 cannot be tempered by either Fidel's last wishes or posthumous decrees.

His positive, outstanding story and example were woven and knitted over long years and everything must be done to ensure that his rich legacy continues to live on in the minds of his heirs and successors, at home and abroad, forever and ever...

Earl Bousquet is a contributor to china.org.cn, editor-at-large of The Diplomatic Courier and author of an online regional newspaper column entitled Chronicles of a Chronic Caribbean Chronicler.

Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.