I've Been Thinking

I saw a picture that today that really got to me - it was a picture of a starving African child crawling on hands and knees to a feeding station. It upset me.
We talked in class today about why no one in the international community is responding to the crisis in Darfur. It upset me.

We talked about the issues of state sovereignty and the wording of the genocide convention - about how the "intent" to commit genocide must be proved before the international community can act to stop the killing. It upset me.

I have come to two conclusions: First, is the fact that we have to begin to think outside the box on some of these horribly difficult issues we face today. Just think where we would be without the creative thinking of the Founding Fathers of the USA. Look at the radical theories of Milton Friedman, Jeffrey Sachs and "shock therapy for struggling economies." Look at what Lech Walesa did in Poland - he was an electrician who changed the entire face of Polish politics by thinking outside the box and coming up with a plan.

Maybe the solution in Darfur will be to encourage China (a country who has a lot vested in Sudan) to take the lead on this one. Maybe we need to stop looking at all the regular places and things for a solution.

Please, before you label me a fool and naive, let me assure you that I am well aware of the issues that faced the Poles after (and during) the solidarity movement.

My second conclusion is this: We, as the residents of this great international, diverse community must create the political will to affect change. We must be the ones who make the decisions on how we are going to handle situations like the one in Darfur. We must be the voices for those who don't have voices. It is up to us! Stop giving it to someone else - stop looking for excuses on why you shouldn't care.

Someone today was remimding me of the horrors in Kosovo - talking about how we were inundated with pictures streaming out of Kosovo - all the children and old men - if even that - every day we saw those images streaming across the television, newspapers. Yet, how many days go by and we don't see those pictures in front of us regarding Darfur? Let's face it, the crisis in Darfur is far from sexy and yes, it has been going on for a hell of a long time. Yet, we continue to allow our governments, our free presses to do nothing. It upsets me.

See, maybe I'm an idealist but I am going to continue to force myself to think outside the box, to help create a will within my own community, my friends and family, my classmates that we have the right to create the political will to stop this madness.