A photographer and entrepreneur from Pinar del Río, Cuba, captured the harsh reality faced by millions on the island with a simple yet poignant statement: in Cuba, the present feels more certain than the future.
Mikely Arencibia Pantoja shared a thought-provoking post on Facebook that is resonating widely across social media. It vividly encapsulates the collective sense of lost future prospects among Cubans.
"In Cuba, today is better than tomorrow. It might sound absurd, but we know it's a painfully accurate description," Arencibia wrote, challenging the conventional logic that governs functional societies.
Breaking the Cycle of Hope
Under normal circumstances, people make sacrifices in the present with the hope that the future will bring rewards: they study for better job opportunities, work to save money, and start businesses to grow. In Cuba, Arencibia explains, this cycle of hope and effort has been completely disrupted.
"If you find food today, there's no guarantee you'll find it tomorrow. If there's electricity today, you can't be sure it will be there tomorrow. If you get medication today, it might be unavailable for months. If your salary is insufficient today, it'll likely be worth even less tomorrow," he elaborates.
As a result, planning has been replaced by improvisation. "The logical planning of our lives vanishes and is substituted by improvisation," Arencibia states.
A Nation in Crisis
This reflection comes amidst one of the most severe economic and humanitarian crises Cuba has faced in decades. Projections for 2026 forecast a drop in Cuba's GDP between 6.5% and 7.2%. Inflation is rampant, and some provinces experience power outages lasting up to 20 hours a day. The United Nations warned in May 2026 that fuel shortages are impacting access to healthcare and basic services nationwide.
Arencibia frequently shares such insights. On July 3, he described Cubans as "professional scarcity managers" and warned against confusing survival with quality of life.
On July 8, he published a piece titled "Normalizing the Abnormal," pointing out how power outages have even reshaped daily language with phrases like "when's our blackout?"
The Search for a Better Tomorrow
For Arencibia, the most visible consequence of this lost future is the mass emigration, but not for the reasons one might think. "Perhaps that's why so many Cubans don't emigrate seeking wealth. They emigrate searching for something much simpler: the chance to believe that tomorrow can be better than today," he suggests.
Data supports this view. Economist Juan Carlos Albizu-Campos estimated that between 2020 and 2024, 24% of the Cuban population emigrated, and over 250,000 Cubans left the country in 2024 alone. A September 2025 survey revealed that 93% of respondents would leave Cuba "immediately" if they could.
Arencibia concludes his reflection with a warning that extends beyond the individual: "A country begins to die when its citizens stop expecting a better tomorrow. It begins to be reborn the day they regain hope to build it."
Understanding the Cuban Crisis
What are the main causes of the current crisis in Cuba?
The crisis in Cuba is primarily driven by a combination of economic mismanagement, severe inflation, and shortages of essential goods and services, exacerbated by the socialist regime's policies.
Why are so many Cubans emigrating?
Many Cubans are leaving not in search of wealth, but in pursuit of basic stability and the hope for a better future, as living conditions on the island continue to deteriorate.
How has the crisis affected daily life in Cuba?
Daily life in Cuba is marked by uncertainty and improvisation, with frequent shortages of food, electricity, and medicine, making it difficult for citizens to plan for the future.