Countryhumans Hispanic Heritage Month 2024

Una Reflexión de un País

Prompt: Chile

Chile hated being controlled. He hated everything about his government right now. It was bad enough that United States had helped to overthrow Salvador Allende (as much as the man denied it), but...but...

Chile's head was fuzzy sometimes. Some days, it was hard to think. When President Pinochet's voice would be so loud that it overwhelm Chile's thoughts.

He knew it was the government doing it to him, warping his mind and making it harder and harder for Chile to think.

It burned deep inside him, his inability to speak out, to say what he really felt. He tried, he really did, and most of the time, he succeeded, but sometimes, it was like his mouth was sewn shut whenever he tried to speak against Pinochet.

Chile hated it.

The hatred was one of the things that kept him going, a burning fuel deep inside, a defiant look in the eye that Pinochet could not take away, even as he warped Chile's mind and body to his whims.

Chile was lucky, in a way. He had seen what martial law had done to Philippines, a mindless puppet in a way that was much worse than any real puppet state. At least Chile was still himself, even with Pinochet pushing him further and further down a path meant to turn him into a puppet.

The way Pinochet tried to make Chile burn books, tried to make Chile say that Pinochet was the greatest thing to happen to his country, and all the actions Pinochet wanted Chile to take were meant to turn him into something like the Philippines.

But Chile was still the Republic of Chile, and he would not be so easily controlled.

Pinochet could disrupt Chile's thoughts all he wanted and try to use the power that softened Chile's mind to control him, but Chile would always break free. He was not going to be controlled. He refused to be controlled.

Chile was born of people who wanted freedom and independence.

He refused to be someone who denied his people those rights.

Chile was lucky. Pinochet could not throw him in prison for that, or make him disappear, or do any of the many things he had done to others to him. Chile was the country. Chile was a very public figure that could not be denied his place.

That gave Chile some protection. Pinochet would not hurt him in any visible way.

It was Chile's private little Cold War with the dictator. Chile didn't know when it would end, but he knew that it could not control him and would not be around forever.

Chile just had to endure.

Until then, he would be Pinochet's constant reminder that he was not beloved by Chileans and that they knew, even if the world didn't, that he was not a legitimate leader of Chile.

Chile would ensure.

And eventually, Pinochet would fall.