war

Day 728

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A landscape of musical notes emanated from four musical instruments inspired by movement of people across the globe in search of a land of gold. When I closed my eyes, I could feel the magical textures at my fingertips and sense the turbulent river flowing and a lone vessel struggling to carry a tonne of isolation and desperation across to a place of hope. Vibrant colours could be heard and pathos felt in the core of my heart and every pore on my skin. The conversations and unison between those colours filled the space with absolute empathy for those forced to leave their homes, a cry against injustice of the refugee crisis. Crossing the Rubicon….dissolving boundaries…reunion…last chance…a boat to nowhere…

Land of Gold – an ode to those displaced.

Find the kind heart,
Rest your feet and soul.
May your kind heart
Find the land of gold.
Pay attention, say your name
Listen closely and keep warm.
Gentle hands, you are brave,
Look at me and carry on.
All is good, I love you.
You can hear me, you can call.
Sing your song with ease and pride.
I’ll be there, not far behind.
Tell them I walked
Tell them I walked your way
Tell them I walked
Tell them I walked your way

– By Anoushka Shankar

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MO1Ziql48w)

Day 409

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Number of people killed in the recent Paris Attacks:130.
Number of deaths at the Nairobi Massacre: 67
Number of children killed in Syria so far: 12,517.
Number of women killed in Syria: 8,062.
Number of people who died of Ebola in 6 countries: 11,314.
Number of people killed in Afghanistan: 92,000.
Number of civilians among them: 26,000.
Number of casualties in America in 9/11: 2,996
Number of people injured in Afghanistan: 100,000.
(Source: Wikipedia. Other sources quote significantly higher numbers of war casualties.)
War maims countries for generations.

Poverty, malnutrition, no homes or schools, lack of clean drinking water, reduced access to health care, breaking up communities, no law and order, environmental degradation, no infrastructure, no sense of security for self and family members, rape, torture, no protection from extreme weather conditions, constant fear ….

In 2009, the Afghan Ministry of Public Health reported that two-thirds of Afghans suffer from mental health problems.

Why is a life lost in America or Europe more worthy of mention in mainstream media than anywhere else in the world? What causes western nations to ‘righteously’ impose their values on other countries? How can we justify war again and again and again? Isn’t there enough suffering in the world already? Everyday thousands die of cruel and nasty diseases, of accidents and natural disasters. Why is the human race bent upon self-destruction? Every time one human being uses violence against another, what dies is humanity.

We are a unique race, Homo Sapiens, supposedly the most ‘evolved’ of all.

Really?