I was born in Apartheid South Africa. My first view of the world was through a lens where whites employed blacks as servants. We had servants who cleaned the house, cooked the meals, made our beds, weeded and watered the gardens. At our "whites only" schools we were taught that even though us whites were first class citizens and everyone else were second class citizens, the different ethnic groups were different from us and we needed to respect that difference (of course, as long as we remained the superior colour group).
So imagine my shock, landing in Israel in 1973 and heading for a restaurant only to find that some of the customers were black. Needless to say, I immediately retreated and went in search for a restaurant where there were no people of colour. The shock was multiplied when arriving at my kibbutz and discovering that not all Jews were white! There were Jews of every colour and extraction...all living together under the same roof....wow! To cut a long story short it took me many years to adjust to a new reality and for me, a real truth.
As a result, when I look at the above child and multiply this picture by the thousands, possibly millions, I shudder to imagine what life will look like for this lost generation of kids. All Omran has ever known is violence. In Aleppo today as Syrian forces advance, women are committing suicide simply because they understand what is awaiting them. What else has this child witnessed besides the ear-shattering explosion that brought his home down upon him. What were the discussions he heard in the family kitchen as massive explosions shook the building? His knowledge of the world is limited to rape trucks, murder, guns, food and survival. In Canada our kids knowledge is limited to love, warmth, security, education and fun.
In conclusion, I doubt whether the child in the photo will be able to adjust to a peaceful world. At best he will land in Europe and North America and understand how unfair his world is while trying to apply himself to the new reality. On the other hand, the more likely scenario is that he will revert to what he knows and understands. He will interpret the the kindness for weakness and unite with his peers to take by force what does not belong to him. Judging by the migrant rape crisis spiralling out of control in Europe and the emerging terrorism and anti-immigrant wave on that continent, it looks like the planet is in for a rocky future.
When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace - Jimi Hendrix
Words have no power to impress the mind without the exquisite horror of their reality. - Edgar Allan Poe
It is not power that corrupts but fear. Fear of losing power corrupts those who wield it and fear of the scourge of power corrupts those who are subject to it - Aung San Suu Kyi
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