Have you ever wondered what an ideal world would look like? What would we need to do to achieve that? Why lately the world seem so much out of control? Why countries fear receiving refugees?
Have we become insensitive human beings?
Every time I turn on the TV it breaks my heart when I see the chaotic state of many countries. Human rights are being ignored, racism is escalating and compassion and empathy are declining. Then I go into a self reflective mode to appreciate how lucky I am that I have a life where my problems are miniscule in comparison to others. I tell my self how fortunate I am of being able to move freely, do anything I want, have people around that love me and support my dreams. To many of us what we see on TV seem very far away and not relatable. Is because of this that I want to share with you an unforgettable moment that I experienced a year ago. This experience brought home the reality of the complexity of the situation for refugees around the world. This moment put faces to what until then, was just a "news story".
This year started with news of a travel ban in the United States. My memory was triggered by it and what I had observed at the Los Angeles airport a year ago as I came back from Australia. At the immigration and custom area there were groups of refugee families waiting on the side. They were waiting for directive on what to do next. I will never forget the look on their eyes (little kids, women and men) a mixture of feeling lost, confusion and fear for the unknown. I could see that the grown men were trying to show strength trying giving some comfort to their families. But as they say, eyes are the window to the soul, and those men were scared. I can not even start to imagine what they went through at home. Having to leave everything familiar to them, having to start over somewhere else knowing that going back will probably never happen in their lifetime. But at least they knew they were doing this to keep their families safe and give them a better future.
My heart aches for all those families left behind that saw the same opportunity coming soon. Because of the ban those dreams were crushed. I want to believe that not only Americans but the entire world is better than this. Why go to church, pray, read the Bible, etc., if as a country and as an international community we are not walking the talk. On Sundays we say one thing, then, the other six days of the week encourage hate, discrimination, divisiveness. Why celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, etc., if our hearts are so hardened that we are not willing to consider that being a refugee does not mean that they are coming into countries to hurt others, rather to be safe and live a productive life.
What would happen if we start assuming good intention first and build strategies from there?
This is something to think about. I will leave it at this to reflect on and continue the dialogue, promoting the exchange of ideas and thoughts. Please feel free to comment on this.