Elbert Hubbard was an American writer, editor, publisher, artist, businessman, anarchist and libertarian socialist philosopher. But what he is most know for, is his essay called A Message to Garcia. The 1, 500 word essay, which is now a 42 page book is short but full of meaning.
The story tells of the U.S President William McKinley needing to get a message to Garcia, who is located somewhere in Cuba. Rowan accepted the task without questioning. He took the letter from President McKinley and traveled to Cuba to deliver the president’s message. Rowan took a boat to the coast and made his way through jungles, to complete the mission all alone. Eventually, he found Garcia’s hideout in the mountains and delivered the president’s letter.
Reading the essay , I found that the point of A Message to Garcia, is not that you shouldn't blindly take a task without knowing all the details. I found that the point of the story, is to show the value of personal responsibility. No matter how big or small the mission is, it's up to only you to complete it. You can't rely on others to do the task for you and you also can't continuously make excuses for yourself. When reading about the essay by Hubbard, I found that most people think it's just a lesson for soldiers, but I think it's a good life lesson for everyone.
You are one of the people who did not just take Hubbard's essay at face value, but found the deeper point he was trying to make. I find this very encouraging.
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