My OperaWhat's worse than the sounds of war?
Tuesday, February 8, 2011 1:22:09 AM
.....the silence of humanity.
I discovered a podcast called "Ted talks". Today I listened to Zainab Salbi give a talk about the role of everyday women in war - not soldiers, just women who may or may not have the resilience and courage to keep going - women who are on the back-lines - mother's who distract their children from what is going on outside their windows, teachers who continue to carry on the daily rituals of running a classroom, women who walk through the streets with gunfire in order to have dinner on the table for their families.
"How casually we treat casualties"....
As much as I heard her. As much as my heart truly felt her message, I also am finding myself comparing my own situation as a woman and mother with her message of women in war torn countries.
It's hard to believe that I once lived in half-million dollar homes, sent my children to private schools, traveled extensively, and was happy to wake up in the morning. In the last six months I have been served with divorce papers, lost my husband of 24 years to either drugs or a mental breakdown, been evicted from our family home, put my dog of eleven years to "sleep" because I am homeless, lost my job because of all of the above - and the stress it has caused. But while this "war" raged and rages on, my number one goal has been to love my kids enough - to support them as much as they need - so that they won't suffer any more than they already do. They have lost all that I have too. They have lost their dad, their parents as a whole, their family home, their dog, their stability, their safety net.
I am drawn to Zainab's question, "what's worse than the sounds of war? The silence of humanity.....
It's interesting how silent everyone is about my situation - Attorney's who know I have no money, family who is overwhelmed by my needs, friends who can't understand why I can't simply turn things around, people who think that they would be the first to reach out to someone in need, but turn away because maybe my "story" isn't the right one.
I am shocked by the silence of humanity on so many levels.
If I can maintain resilience and courage in my fight, I know one thing for sure....the compassion I have gained for humanity will surely lead me to a place in life where I can, in some capacity be a beacon of light for another - and hopefully for many.
I discovered a podcast called "Ted talks". Today I listened to Zainab Salbi give a talk about the role of everyday women in war - not soldiers, just women who may or may not have the resilience and courage to keep going - women who are on the back-lines - mother's who distract their children from what is going on outside their windows, teachers who continue to carry on the daily rituals of running a classroom, women who walk through the streets with gunfire in order to have dinner on the table for their families.
"How casually we treat casualties"....
As much as I heard her. As much as my heart truly felt her message, I also am finding myself comparing my own situation as a woman and mother with her message of women in war torn countries.
It's hard to believe that I once lived in half-million dollar homes, sent my children to private schools, traveled extensively, and was happy to wake up in the morning. In the last six months I have been served with divorce papers, lost my husband of 24 years to either drugs or a mental breakdown, been evicted from our family home, put my dog of eleven years to "sleep" because I am homeless, lost my job because of all of the above - and the stress it has caused. But while this "war" raged and rages on, my number one goal has been to love my kids enough - to support them as much as they need - so that they won't suffer any more than they already do. They have lost all that I have too. They have lost their dad, their parents as a whole, their family home, their dog, their stability, their safety net.
I am drawn to Zainab's question, "what's worse than the sounds of war? The silence of humanity.....
It's interesting how silent everyone is about my situation - Attorney's who know I have no money, family who is overwhelmed by my needs, friends who can't understand why I can't simply turn things around, people who think that they would be the first to reach out to someone in need, but turn away because maybe my "story" isn't the right one.
I am shocked by the silence of humanity on so many levels.
If I can maintain resilience and courage in my fight, I know one thing for sure....the compassion I have gained for humanity will surely lead me to a place in life where I can, in some capacity be a beacon of light for another - and hopefully for many.
