Lines

Lines, what if there were no lines, borders, divides?  What if there was no border between countries?  What if we took down the fences between neighbors?  Democrat or Republican, can’t we just be?  For everything there seems to be a divide. If we were to remove those divides, would it create peace or chaos?  Perhaps it is the divide that is our own worst enemy. 

If someone were to ask you, (insert your name here), what are you?  Think for a moment.  How would you answer?  Would you say your last name, your sex, your nationality, your favorite sports team, your ethnicity, your political party?  There are a million things that make us who we are, but what are the few things that define who you are and what is the one thing that first came to your mind.

It is our differences that make this would a beautiful and interesting place, but there are so many qualities that unite us all.  I write this post because so many people have asked me why it is that I am going to Afghanistan, and my answer is simply that, we are all people.  If your brother were there, would you not be on the next flight out?  Once the barriers are removed, you realize that we are all just people, trying to live the best way we know how.  Afghanis, like the rest of us, are people, who have been dealt a much worse hand, trying to deal with it each day.

I am an American, a female, a democrat, a Midwesterner, an activist and so many more things. However, when you see a child who hasn’t eaten in days or a teenage prostitute attempting to “work” for an education or when a baby is left because he is “damned” with HIV, you hold out your hands, do all you can to help and realize that you are a part of the human race, and that rises above all else.

So maybe the solution isn’t to remove the lines between us, but to lower them just enough so we can see each other, enough to know that we are all a part of the same human race.

Not front page, but worth a read

As I plan to head to Afghanistan, many people send or are commenting to me on the most recent suicide bomber or kidnapping.  While I agree that this is news that should be shared, it isn't the only thing happening.  The armed forces, development professionals and most importantly the Afghani citizens are working tirelessly to create a better government, a more stable economy and a better life for themselves.

While the headlines often speak of bombs and terrorists, we fail to see what progress is being made and the thought that goes behind it.  Therefore, I will make an effort to post news other than the taliban attacks.  Below are two great posts, one from a NYT blogger and the other from Secretaty Clinton. 

The More Things Change... a blog post from the NYT, noting a simple truth, often forgotten in US strategy.

Civilian Af-Pak Strategy released by the State Dept. on 1/21, worth a glance if you are interested in the situation.