The most important thing is to remember

Recently, talking with one of my friends, I was asked, "Why is your blog the most depressing blog I follow?" or something like that. I thought about that for the past several weeks. I don't mean to come off depressing or annoying in my desire to talk about refugees and human suffering. I don't want to be pessimistic and in reality, I don't believe that I am. I like this quote. It describes me very well.

"When asked if I am pessimistic or optimistic about the future, my answer is always the same: If you look at the science about what is happening on earth and aren’t pessimistic, you don’t understand the data. But if you meet the people who are working to restore this earth and the lives of the poor, and you aren’t optimistic, you haven’t got a pulse."

Amazing things are happening to those who are suffering. The picture I chose today involves remembering those who have suffered in the past and are currently suffering. The most important thing we can do is be aware of their situation and the world that exists around us.
In the film, Hotel Rwanda, a journalist films the atrocities and says, "I think if people see this footage, they'll say Oh, my God, that's horrible. And then they'll go on eating their dinners." The purpose of this blog is for this to not happen. Although we may not be able to help these people personally, the biggest mistake we can make is to forget them, to leave them out of our prayers, to not think that they are human.
Here is my man, a refugee from the Zepa enclave during the Bosnian-Herzegovina conflict between 1992-1995. Probably originally fleeing from Bosnia for refuge, the man ended up in a
United Nations declared "safe area". The Zepa "safe area" only lasted 2 years before the war reached this man, his family, and his friends. The so-called "safe area" was ethnically cleansed forcing people, like this man, to flee for their lives once again.
I don't know this man. I probably will never meet him. He may not still be alive. But the reason I chose this picture is because of the emotion this man shows. It's as if you can tell exactly how this man is feeling without ever having to speak a word to him. Although we don't know him, we can keep them in our hearts, our prayers. We do not have to see this picture, say "that's horrible," and go back to chatting with our friends on facebook.
Thanks for reading. Was this depressing again?

Works Cited

"Zepa." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 2010. Web. 11 March. 2010.

Salgado, Sebastiao. "Migrations: Humanity in Transition. [The Human Family Around the World]." Legends Online. PDN and Kodak Presents, n.d. Web. 11 March. 2010