Thursday, July 07, 2005

Please, No Distractions

I was speaking to my Dad this morning - as we were both confirming that friends and family who live and travel around (or close to) London were safe - about the blasts. I expressed my concern that this could threaten the G8 summit, or at least give some the excuse to put their focus elsewhere. He then said that when you consider that a child dies every 3-seconds of poverty... Well, the point is, why do these deaths concern us and get the Politicians onto the nearest Helicopter and in front of the nearest cameras, when it's taken bloody ages for them to even talk about deaths in Africa. Is it skin-colour or proximity?

If anything - and this was my Dad's main point (in my words) - we need to strengthen our resolve to wipe out poverty in the face of these attacks. Rather than distracting us, they should bring home to us the pain of losing loved ones, the fear of living in the shadow of death and the inexcusibility of tyranny. The only valid response to the threat of death is the celebration of Life.
[via Leaving Munster, emphasis mine]

2 comments:

  1. great quote. Most people I talk to don't think they're racist. Until you lead them through the discussion...

    Q. if adding several million dollars to the Canadian health care system would make it work better, should we do it?
    A. well, sure
    Q. if adding several million dollars to foreign aid spending would save lives, should we do it?
    A. well, no
    Q. what if the lives were Canadian lives we'd be saving; then should we do it?
    A. well, um... yes.

    Thanks for stopping by my place... I no longer think you're a boob :)

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  2. Yeah...we may be "all the same" but then somehow "some are more equal than others". It's amazing how people get in that mindset.

    Whew! I'm now officially cool. My future's so bright, I have to wear shades. (Oops, there goes my coolness...)

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