Have you ever felt as if you were alone? As if the world has turned its back against you? As if your life, your will, your opinions don't matter? Have you ever felt the pain of loneliness... the pain of hopelessness, the pain of helplessness? I know I have at some point... the agony of not having anyone to turn to but yourself. The agony of having to look to only yourself for advice. The agony of coming to an empty house, feeling as if there is noone to turn to? Have you ever felt the loss of a loved one? Have you ever felt the constant fear of losing someone you love? There can be a million people around you but at that point, nothing matters... the pain is yours and yours alone. No matter who attempts to help you the pain cannot be shared, the burden is yours. Because afterall, you are the only one who understands the agony. You are the only one who understands the pain.
I might not know much but anyone and everyone has at least felt one of these pains. I've even had the priviledge of experiencing much of these pains. I've felt the pain of loss, the fear of loss, the agony of loneliness, the fear of insignificance, the fear of helplessness. Make these pains into a single agonizing pain and you would find the agony closest to the pain of an African child. A child who has much to offer this world but has yet to have a chance. A child who cries for a mother who has left this world. A child who cries for a father who has abandoned the unbearable and chosen a similar path to his wife. A family who is raised by a sibling or noone at all. A child left alone to "solve" his problems unattended to. A child who has lost all he finds good in life. A child who has been forsaken by the world. A child without a direction to life, without a hope of survival.
People refer to these grown children to be savages and merciless. People blame these teenagers to be nothing but ruffians. People call these adults warmongers, bloodseekers, barbarians. Yet, can anyone truly be blamed for losing hope in life when the world has seemingly turned its back on you. Can anyone be blamed for having no directions in life because there were none. Can a homeless, orphan child be blamed for looking for some sort of security in the company of druglords and men of power???
These so called "savages" and "barbarians" are present because of the pains of loss, the pains of hopelessness, the pains of loneliness, the pains of helplessness, the pains of emptiness. These children, these teenagers, these adults need guidance, not money. This nation needs guidance. This nation needs security. This nation needs education. Children need to understand that druglords and militias arent the only security offered in this world, teenagers need to understand that men could create opportunities. Men need to overlook the gluttony to find hope in this seemingly abandoned nation... for the sake of a loved one, for the sake of the next generation, for the sake of survival.
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Help or Help Destroy
Lately, as any reader could pick out, I have caught an interest in the situation of Africa. It has become more than just sympathy. The climbing death rates due to the gluttony of war, the unforseen famines, the impact of the plagues have all come together to be one in Africa. Blame it on the Africans, as many of you may, but afterall, they are people. People of dreams, people of character, children of the world.
This problem is not just theirs, it ours. Africans deserve rights to live just as we do but it seems that as time passes, we have overlooked their rights; it seems that afterall, Africa has become the crater of the earth; it seems that due to time, Africa has been forgotten. Our vain knowledge on Africa has forced us away from "their" situation. Our vanity on this issue has caused us to ignore... or rather accept the fact that they are being deprived of their God given right to survive. Ignorance has caused us to shut an eye on this death-infested nation.
One man's death in North America is a tragedy grabbing all attention of the world. A celebrity is married for the third consecutive time, plagued only by her excessive amount of money, is posted up on every issue of every magazine. A notorious actor passes on of old age, having comfortably lived a life of 80 and the world weeps for his death. I can't fathom the reasoning behind such a thing when tens of thousands of innocent men, women and most of all children suffer excrutiating deaths while millions of others suffers excrutiatingly. I can't grasp the reasoning behind inaction when you understand that there's a child somewhere in Africa crawling on his elbows and knees to reach a food camp seven miles away while a vulture waits on yet another prey. I hear politicians preaching to voters righteously about lending a hand; not helping the positive is encouraging the negative. Men and women shout and cheer wildly for such a speech yet I don't hear of an action taken to help those who are in most desperate need. The world (or at least the first worlds) send out such a strong message to people... Help those in need or forsake them.
Are Africans not as much people as we are? Are Africans not in need, in fact aren't they in THE most desperate need? Are Africans not dying of starvation? Aren't many parts of Africa in a state of war or rather hasn't it become a slaughter-house? If so, why aren't any effective measures taken to help them? There are only two options the world has to offer; either help or help destroy. Apparently, the world has chosen the latter.
One man's death is a tragedy, a million deaths is a statistic.
This problem is not just theirs, it ours. Africans deserve rights to live just as we do but it seems that as time passes, we have overlooked their rights; it seems that afterall, Africa has become the crater of the earth; it seems that due to time, Africa has been forgotten. Our vain knowledge on Africa has forced us away from "their" situation. Our vanity on this issue has caused us to ignore... or rather accept the fact that they are being deprived of their God given right to survive. Ignorance has caused us to shut an eye on this death-infested nation.
One man's death in North America is a tragedy grabbing all attention of the world. A celebrity is married for the third consecutive time, plagued only by her excessive amount of money, is posted up on every issue of every magazine. A notorious actor passes on of old age, having comfortably lived a life of 80 and the world weeps for his death. I can't fathom the reasoning behind such a thing when tens of thousands of innocent men, women and most of all children suffer excrutiating deaths while millions of others suffers excrutiatingly. I can't grasp the reasoning behind inaction when you understand that there's a child somewhere in Africa crawling on his elbows and knees to reach a food camp seven miles away while a vulture waits on yet another prey. I hear politicians preaching to voters righteously about lending a hand; not helping the positive is encouraging the negative. Men and women shout and cheer wildly for such a speech yet I don't hear of an action taken to help those who are in most desperate need. The world (or at least the first worlds) send out such a strong message to people... Help those in need or forsake them.
Are Africans not as much people as we are? Are Africans not in need, in fact aren't they in THE most desperate need? Are Africans not dying of starvation? Aren't many parts of Africa in a state of war or rather hasn't it become a slaughter-house? If so, why aren't any effective measures taken to help them? There are only two options the world has to offer; either help or help destroy. Apparently, the world has chosen the latter.
One man's death is a tragedy, a million deaths is a statistic.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Happiness and Survival
Survival of the fittest. Is that not what we were taught as kids? Is that not what the community has offered us? Is that not what the world of democracy has become? Society pressures us to survive at any cost. The media tells us to strive for what we want and the best of us would make it. Democracy tells us that the one who works the most is the one who would attain the riches. Agree? Correct me if I'm wrong.
Now, is there such a difference between the first and third world countries? People in the first world claim that those such as the Africans are savages. People in the first world claim that fighting for what they, not want but need is barbaric. Yet, that's all they can do isn't it? Desperate times calls for desperate measures.
People of the first world, I dare say, strive for a "befitting" house. Those of the third world, on the other hand, fight for what shelter they can find. People of the first world work their whole lives to educate their children to fullfill what they never had a chance to. People of the third world risk their lives to feed a family of seven. First worlds offers opportunity, third worlds forces them. First worlds promote leisure, third provokes survival. First worlds pursue pleasures while the third worlds struggle to avoid anger.
Third world countries such as Africa have been and still is war stricken caused by the gluttony of the first, the third and every other world in between. A place as such is plagued by famine and starvation. Days pass as men are plagued by fatal diseases while women bear an infant of little hope praying that the quantity of children would create opportunities. Opportunities are their ONLY hope; their only option, in their minds, are the rabbit-like quantity(and sizes) of infants. They are not repulsive savages. They are people of the same calibur, people of flesh and blood, people who are desperate for hope. This very same desperation has compelled them, just as we would, to survive.
Men are men, despite the cultures, men are still men. Our pursuit is happiness, our obligation is survival.
Now, is there such a difference between the first and third world countries? People in the first world claim that those such as the Africans are savages. People in the first world claim that fighting for what they, not want but need is barbaric. Yet, that's all they can do isn't it? Desperate times calls for desperate measures.
People of the first world, I dare say, strive for a "befitting" house. Those of the third world, on the other hand, fight for what shelter they can find. People of the first world work their whole lives to educate their children to fullfill what they never had a chance to. People of the third world risk their lives to feed a family of seven. First worlds offers opportunity, third worlds forces them. First worlds promote leisure, third provokes survival. First worlds pursue pleasures while the third worlds struggle to avoid anger.
Third world countries such as Africa have been and still is war stricken caused by the gluttony of the first, the third and every other world in between. A place as such is plagued by famine and starvation. Days pass as men are plagued by fatal diseases while women bear an infant of little hope praying that the quantity of children would create opportunities. Opportunities are their ONLY hope; their only option, in their minds, are the rabbit-like quantity(and sizes) of infants. They are not repulsive savages. They are people of the same calibur, people of flesh and blood, people who are desperate for hope. This very same desperation has compelled them, just as we would, to survive.
Men are men, despite the cultures, men are still men. Our pursuit is happiness, our obligation is survival.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Africa Forsaken
Ever heard of the starvation in Africa, the famine, the druglords, the militia, the apparent five-child-per-family policy? Of course you have. Thats all we hear about; the negative, the problems, the deaths....none of which offer a solution.
The world powers offer a apparently simplistic solution, "send them some money". The rest offer an even more effective solution, "leave them be". The African governments request the ultimate solution, "send us more money". And yet, over and over again, millions of dollars later, the druglords get richer, the militiamen expands its army, the corrupt governments gets even more corrupt, politicians claiming to support the people while gluttoning over anything they can get their hands on. And yet, after all these years, farmers continue to forcefully impregnate their malnutritioned wives in hopes of more farmers. And yet, with these millions of dollars, millions others continue to die of starvation, dying at shootouts, dying of premature or malnutritioned birth.
To think that after such a lengthy period of time, the "civilized" (even undeveloped) nations would come to their senses. Maybe for once, money is NOT the solution to the world's problems. Maybe for once, people need direction, people need guidance, people need education. The good-willed donations goes to the fundings of militias, all unaccounted for. Instead of funding militias, why not build schools? Why not hire educators? Why not help these people help themselves? Why not fund schools instead of weaponary? Oh, yeah, that can't be done since thats how countries have become world powers - through war. Well, now those countries are the world powers that they are, it doesn't stop there; one war leads to another and before you know it, there's another war, yet again, spending...no burning not millions but trillions of dollars on yet another missile with lower visibility and higher casualty with compliments of a larger offensive range. I can't come to grasp a concept which provokes more death in the midst of death. I can't grasp a concept provoking anger in the midst of revenge. I can't come to grasp the priority of weaponary over education.
The media has brainwashed the majority of us. People have not come to believe the lies of the media world; people have merely grew tired of Africa, people have abandoned all hope of survival in Africa. All the movies, the news, the songs, the donations, the organizations, the...(well you get the point), people have seen all this, believing that by supporting these causes blindly, a whole nation would revolutionize. Yet, that very nation is deteriorating, that very nation is holding on its last thread of survival facing the world's back, forsaken and unwanted. The lives of millions hang on this thread of life and death, having war and famine to push them off this thread and education to build a foundation of life.
Despite this obvious choice between war and education, the proclaimed "world powers" choose to fuel this fire(war) with more wood(money). Despite the daily deaths of the innocent, these world powers(who ironically claim to fight only the righteous wars) have forsaken this African nation only to assure fundings for more war. Despite the righteous claims of the majority, people have yet to give up control, money and power for the betterment of millions.
Isn't it as simple as savage and civil? Isn't it as simple as war and education? Isn't it as simple as life and death? Or am I just being a little too optimistic.
The world powers offer a apparently simplistic solution, "send them some money". The rest offer an even more effective solution, "leave them be". The African governments request the ultimate solution, "send us more money". And yet, over and over again, millions of dollars later, the druglords get richer, the militiamen expands its army, the corrupt governments gets even more corrupt, politicians claiming to support the people while gluttoning over anything they can get their hands on. And yet, after all these years, farmers continue to forcefully impregnate their malnutritioned wives in hopes of more farmers. And yet, with these millions of dollars, millions others continue to die of starvation, dying at shootouts, dying of premature or malnutritioned birth.
To think that after such a lengthy period of time, the "civilized" (even undeveloped) nations would come to their senses. Maybe for once, money is NOT the solution to the world's problems. Maybe for once, people need direction, people need guidance, people need education. The good-willed donations goes to the fundings of militias, all unaccounted for. Instead of funding militias, why not build schools? Why not hire educators? Why not help these people help themselves? Why not fund schools instead of weaponary? Oh, yeah, that can't be done since thats how countries have become world powers - through war. Well, now those countries are the world powers that they are, it doesn't stop there; one war leads to another and before you know it, there's another war, yet again, spending...no burning not millions but trillions of dollars on yet another missile with lower visibility and higher casualty with compliments of a larger offensive range. I can't come to grasp a concept which provokes more death in the midst of death. I can't grasp a concept provoking anger in the midst of revenge. I can't come to grasp the priority of weaponary over education.
The media has brainwashed the majority of us. People have not come to believe the lies of the media world; people have merely grew tired of Africa, people have abandoned all hope of survival in Africa. All the movies, the news, the songs, the donations, the organizations, the...(well you get the point), people have seen all this, believing that by supporting these causes blindly, a whole nation would revolutionize. Yet, that very nation is deteriorating, that very nation is holding on its last thread of survival facing the world's back, forsaken and unwanted. The lives of millions hang on this thread of life and death, having war and famine to push them off this thread and education to build a foundation of life.
Despite this obvious choice between war and education, the proclaimed "world powers" choose to fuel this fire(war) with more wood(money). Despite the daily deaths of the innocent, these world powers(who ironically claim to fight only the righteous wars) have forsaken this African nation only to assure fundings for more war. Despite the righteous claims of the majority, people have yet to give up control, money and power for the betterment of millions.
Isn't it as simple as savage and civil? Isn't it as simple as war and education? Isn't it as simple as life and death? Or am I just being a little too optimistic.
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