I never dream of Essa...

[geologybabe]

Back in 1996-1997 my primary friends were Indians and Pakistanis with a few Americans thrown in the mix. However, I had one friend that I considered a good friend and he was from Afghanistan. We were both attending the same college and I really wanted to know his story. He told me that his family had come to the US when he was younger. He said they had fled Afghanistan and lived in refugee camps in Pakistan before they arrived here in the states. For me at the time I was a naive young woman not really understanding the dynamics of world politics as I do today. I don't spend a lot of time on here discussing how I feel that our media and government have kept the average American in the dark for decades and that we as a nation were a bunch of delusional fools at this point courtesy of the deception. I don't rant about how Americans in general live in a bubble and even if they did know the truth would prefer not to have to deal with it unless it came knocking on their door. Please don't get me wrong, I love my country. But at the same time, I know my country and my fellow Americans have a lot of flaws and issues that it needs to work through in order to get along with the rest of the globe. I refuse to believe that the mistakes that my government has made cannot be righted at some point in time. I know that the damage done will never be fully fixed but we could all start tomorrow to redeem ourselves. So, how does this pertain to Essa, the guy from Afghanistan that I met years ago? Well, after I graduated from college in 1999, I lost track of a lot of people, including him. It did not mean that I all of a sudden did not remember who they are. I have gone through many tumultuous times in my life and when I do I have a tendency to withdraw. After I worked through some issues, I managed to find many of my friends again and we are still connected today. The only person I did not find was Essa. Not a day goes by that I don't think about him and every time I hear news of Afghanistan, it brings a twinge of pain to my heart. In many ways, the monster that is the Taliban and Al Qaeda have origins in American foreign policy. Yet, we seem to justify that it is "something that must be done". Personally, I think there should be and could be a different approach. I think that as a country we have become a spitting image of the lawless west from a century ago. We have lost our humanity and civility. Do you want to know why so many Americans don't like foreigners? Collectively, if Americans liked them then we would become friends with them and if we become friends with them it is a little hard for us to go and bomb our friends. Having the friends I have has changed me for the better. I have seen beyond the entrance to Plato's cave and have ventured out into the sun while the rest of America is still watching the shadows on the cave wall. By no means do I know everything, I will say this right here. Also, I know I am not the only one that has broadened their scope of trying to understand the truth. There are many Americans that learn beyond what the media and our government tries to shove down our throats as knowledge every night. If there is any words of wisdom that I can impart to anyone that reads this is to QUESTION EVERYTHING. If you hear a bit of news that seems fantastic, I would look for another source outside of your country just to get perspective. Also, open your hearts to the possibility of friendship outside your comfort zone. Look beyond the boundaries of what you know and try to see life from someone else's eyes.

You see, I took the road less traveled by and it has made all the difference :)

Essa, if you ever are to read this, I am sorry for what has happened to your country and I hope that I will be able to meet you again...