About That Side of Compassion

Last night's 24 teaser reminded me of Ishmael Beah's powerful A Long Way Gone. The true story of Beah's experiences as a child soldier in the Sierra Leone, A Long Way Gone is one of those rare books that makes an honest mark in the subconscious realm of compassion. While Beah's experiences themselves are tragic and remarkable, his ability to recreate them is as poetic as smelling rain before feeling the first fleeting drop on your cheek.

The most heart wrenching premise of the story, however, is the idea that there are still children being brainwashed into becoming soldiers in armies so consumed by their own purpose they would recruit children as young as 8 years old to do their killing. Using drugs, alcohol, and the simple allures of food and "family", these rebels take away the last ember of hope and innocence afforded to children who have typically already lost their parents, siblings, and homes. With the very fabric of their lives already shredded beyond recognition, these children are forced to bear further witness to the atrocities we as "adults" are capable of committing against one another. The truly unfortunate aspect of the whole thing is that even if the UNICEF or other organizations are able to rescue the children, they are left with unavoidable images and life long guilt. None the less, Beah and others like him struggle to find peace and reconciliation in understanding that they never should have been put in that situation and that their experiences may be used to help other children. In Beah's words, "It is easy to become a child soldier but it is much more difficult ot recover one's humanity...but it is possible."

According to UN estimates, there are still 250,000 child soldiers throughout the 13 countries in the world. At this point, UNICEF seems to be the primary organization which contributes to rehabilitating child soldiers, however, this past Friday Beah and others launched the Network of Young People Affected by War:

NEW YORK, 20 November 2008 – “We, a group of former child soldiers and survivors of armed conflict in different capacities, are pleased to announce today the launch of the Network of Young People Affected by War (NYPAW) to help children whose lives have been derailed by conflict.
“As young people who have endured conflict in our respective countries and who are all too familiar with the toll it exacts on children’s emotional, social, physical, psychosocial and academic development, we are determined to help children whose fate has been similar to ours regain their confidence and their lives.
“Way too many children are witnessing the horrors of war: It is estimated that 1.5 billion children – two thirds of the world’s child population – live in the 42 countries affected by violent, high-intensity conflict between 2002 and 2006.
“Building on our own experiences, NYPAW seeks to speak up for the rights of all these children and to find concrete measures to prevent the use of children in war.
“We also hope to remind the world of how resilient children are, when given the right support. We are best-selling authors, renowned musicians, and youth advocates who hope to serve as role models to all those whose lives have been affected by violence.
“With guidance from United Nations, including UNICEF and the Office of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, and with the assistance of War Child Holland and the Permanent Mission of Italy to the UN, NYPAW will use education and art – including writing, public speaking, poetry, music, painting, storytelling and theatre – to raise awareness to the plight of children living in conflict zones and provide them with the necessary support. “NYPAW will also serve as a conduit linking children caught in conflict with governments, international organizations, civil society and the media.
“As individuals, our strength has been our belief that we could overcome the traumas we have faced in times of war. But united as NYPAW, our strength is being able to communicate our experiences and to help affect change for the other children currently struggling in conflict countries and support the reconciliation process in countries emerging from war That is our hope. That is our mission.”

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In the Grand Scheme of Things

How can we really complain when we've got it so good? While it is true that I manage to find daily complaints, I am so completely thankful this holiday season. Thanksgiving is something of a cliche, but also a nice time to reflect on the many ways in which I have been blessed... For one, I have the safety and health of my child. That means more than all the left over turkey and cranberry sauce sandwiches in the world.

As I draw to a close on my Christmas shopping this year (and despite it feeling more like I should be preparing for the Fourth of July), I have tried to find meaningful gifts that will somehow make an impact or less of one... My initial inclination was to donate the money that I would have spent on everyone to a charity that I thought they would be happy to help. My first problem was that there are so many to choose from! How can I decide between a child in Haiti and a child in Darfur? Books or teddy bears? Vaccinations or food? And then there is the ever present, "should I be helping a child in another country or a child right here?". Books or teddy bears? Vaccinations or food? What about the environment? Protect a forest in another country or protect a forest right here? What about the animals? Domestic or endangered? Vaccinations or food?

Then another obstacle presented itself. While everyone on my list has been blessed in the same ways as I have, how do I really go about saying, "I really appreciate you so much that I gave someone else your gift?" I have an uncle that does just that, but he also lives in Australia. Plus, I like giving, not just the idea of giving. So I suppose I compromised by finding a website where your purchases go towards worthy causes: literacy, mammograms, food, animals, rainforests, and/or vaccinations. Plus the gifts that I chose are made through fair trade orgainzations throughout the world that help women especially. There were still some individuals on my list that didn't quite fit into the options that I found, so I'm going "green" for them... reusable shopping bags, herb gardens, trees. Which reminds me...I also found a website where you can purchase seeds from historical trees. Someone on my list is getting an Elvis Presley magnolia...

There is always the chance that I am being duped by these well wishing websites, but at least I feel like I'm doing something, even if it is just a meager contribution in the grand scheme of things... Josh and I have also decided that every year we'll set aside money for Ava to contribute to a charity of her choice, as we would like a side of compassion to accompany her intelligence. This year I think she'll be "adopting" a panda, as she has one that she adores, but I am open to other suggestions as well! I have made an annual habit of donating to St. Jude's and am adding a contribution to Yele Haiti this year, but it just never seems like enough...Following Hurricane Katrina I donated all of my tips for a Friday night to the Red Cross ($500!), as well as clothes, but I wonder if I even made a dent.

Meanwhile, I am still guilty of driving an SUV, watering my lawn enough to keep it green, and using disposable diapers, to name a few of my less than green offenses (would the opposite of being green be purple? Just a thought). And I still tend to look the other way when I see a bum on the freeway offramp (I have some opinions on that one)... So if, according to Dan Eldon, "the journey is the destination", is awareness a viable means of transportation?