Changing the world, my friend Sancho, is not madness or utopia, but Justice!
Don Quixote, the legendary wandering knight and celebrated fighter for truth, who tirelessly corrected injustices, helped the poor, brought comfort to the powerless, and gained fame through heroic adventures, continues to inspire generations around the world for over four hundred years. In his quests, this brave knight clashed with a mighty lion, a herd of bulls, and numerous monsters that accompanied him. But he also encountered the darkest sides of his own depths and reached the very source of his highest hopes and deepest anxieties.
Let us dedicate ourselves to getting to know ourselves.
It is the most difficult task in the world.
How is it that this seemingly amusing tale about a mad old man still remains a guide for every true idealist? What makes this extraordinary enthusiast an archetypal synonym for a knight? It is at least unusual that in today’s world, where the material aspect of reality takes precedence, the pursuit of justice, truth, and self-discovery continues to be an essential characteristic of humanity. the selfless and altruistic knight survives as a lasting inspiration. However, perhaps that is the solution to this puzzle. Is it not, in today’s time, more necessary than ever to know that life does not have to be reduced to mere survival and satisfying one’s own desires and instincts? This unusual hero reminds us that it is not impossible to act from different motives – to make the world a better place, to enrich someone’s life, or to help someone.
For freedom, just like for honor, you can and must die. On the other hand, its opposite, slavery, is the most bitter evil that can befall a person.
Don Quixote does not perform noble deeds by chance, he seeks them out and demands them, knowing that the world can truly be changed only consciously and intentionally. Always ready to face danger, without the intention of justifying or making excuses, he takes his share of responsibility for the world, forgetting about his own well-being in the process. The extraordinary appearance of the nobleman Alonso Quijana, who at one point decides to become Don Quixote of La Mancha, is not is, in fact, not as distant from our daily lives as it may seem. Hasn’t each of us found ourselves countless times in a “battle with windmills” like our hero? Haven’t many told us in those situations that it’s “pointless to fight” just like his faithful companion Sancho Panza told him? And of course, if we have found meaning and motivation in that fight, we haven’t cared about the comments and criticism of others, but instead continued to fight. We may not have defeated the “windmills,” but maybe we have defeated ourselves, which is far more important for a knight.
It’s clear to me, my friend Sancho, that you don’t quite understand what adventures are. They are not windmills, but real giants. And if you’re afraid, step aside and pray while I confront them with anger and unequal battle.
Indeed, the life situation of every person is reflected through the epic battle with windmills. Through the two main characters, Don Quixote and Sancho Panza, Cervantes masterfully describes the inner conflict within a person, the one between our spiritual nature and material aspirations. Our spiritual nature is often presented as a knight who bravely battles windmills, while our material desires are portrayed by Sancho, the faithful follower, who is more cautious and skeptical. In this battle, the significance of finding personal meaning and motivation is emphasized, and the importance of overcoming oneself is highlighted. The message conveyed is that the pursuit of personal ideals and dreams, despite the doubts and criticisms of others, is what truly matters in life. The divine nature strives to reach ideals, express virtues, and make the world a better place, and it tries to prioritize that. However, our material world disagrees and wants our fleeting desires (hunger, thirst, sleep, rest…) to be satisfied first. This conflict can be seen in every knight’s adventure. Every time Don Quixote wants to engage in a fight, when he wants to do something he considers noble, Sancho tries to dissuade him from it, convincing him that it is more important to preserve his own life than to save others’.
“You sleep, Sancho, because you were born to sleep; and I was born to keep watch.”
Don Quixote loves his friend Sancho, cares for him, and advises him, helping him step out of his narrow confines. However, he is well aware of who should be the guide in their adventure and does not give in to Sancho’s tricks and deceptions. Moreover, he responds decisively and strongly to each of them, making it clear to him how one should live and what deeds to strive for. And, following the adventures of these two friends, we can see the clash between the world of ideals and the material world, as well as the struggle to prioritize them. e to the two adventurers in two parts of this literary classic, we notice something incredible: even Sancho starts to change! From a simple skeptic at the beginning of the adventure, Sancho Panza gradually becomes more convinced of the purposefulness of this way of life, expressing it through his words and actions. Upon returning to his homeland, he says:
“Open your eyes, beloved homeland, […] open your arms to welcome your son Don Quixote, who returns defeated by the hands of others, but is the victor over himself, and that, as he told me, is the greatest victory one can wish for.”
In this way, Cervantes is sending us a message: if we want to change, if we want to live a more humane life, we must find Don Quixote within ourselves and allow him to guide us through life. By changing ourselves, as Don Quixote teaches us, we will change a small part of the universe – which will make the entire universe different, at least in the part that is our responsibility!
Some tread the wide field of arrogant self-importance; They wander along the European low road; the third group follows the path of deceit and hypocrisy, while some traverse the field of true religion. But I am guided by my star, and I walk the narrow path of vagabond knighthood, a path to which I have surrendered, caring not for possessions but for honor. […] My intention always aims for a noble purpose, to do good to everyone and harm to no one; does the one who has such intention, who acts and works in this way, deserve to be labeled a madman?
Don Quixote’s life is dramatic, full of contradictions, exposed to ridicule. He is in constant conflict and movement. He is no longer rooted in the past, he firmly strides towards a clear future, towards the necessity of becoming a better person who will create a better world.
There are various follies in this world. But the greatest folly is to look at ourselves as we are. We should look at ourselves as what we can become.
Has there ever been a braver hero than Don Quixote, a knight in whom the fundamental question of man is reflected in every crisis? Has there ever been a more important way to live with strength and conviction? Do we shoot towards the ideals that live deep within us? Don Quixote is the very proof that such a way of life brings dignity, enthusiasm, and optimism, enriching a person from within, regardless of external circumstances. Or perhaps, even despite them.