Is your life worth than man? Is the life of an American man worth more than a Syrian man? Is the life of a Honduran woman worth less than that of an Australian woman? And is the life of a German child worth more than that of a Palestinian? Are the lives of a family living on the street worth less than the ones living in a house? How do we truly measure the life of a woman or a man? I have been asking myself that question more than ever during this past year. And as much as I didn’t want to believe it, the truth is there are lives more valuable in this world than others.
As I write there are multitudes of Central Americans trying to enter the US in hopes of escaping the violent lives they face in their countries. Standing on other side are multitudes of Americans holding signs that read ‘welcome’, ‘go home’ and everything in between. Our own countrymen and women in Puerto Rico are still suffering with more than half the island without electricity, that should not be happening. When tragedy strikes around the world we are the first to offer help but for whatever reason we don’t help our own – shame on us.
On April 23 ten people were mowed down in a deliberate act of terrorism, how long was it in the news? A few days – more than two but less than five, there were moments of silence but that was the extent of it. Suicide bombings have become so common they’re no long the lead story any newcast, we blink our eyes and go the next channel. Twenty, thirty, forty, fifty lives or more lost in an instant as the world stands by. Or have we become so numb to it that it no longer affects us?
On July 15, 2016 eighty four people were killed in the Paris truck attack and the entire world stood and mourned, as it should and moments of silence around the world followed. But why aren’t we mourning Syrians, Afghanistan’s, Lebanese or Israelis? Why were there no flags of Israel or Mali flags standing side by side with the US flag at sporting events around the world after the tragedy in France? Why were there no moments of silence for the people of Beirut, Nigeria or Baghdad? Are the lives of Parisians worth more than a person from Beirut, Syria, Afghanistan or Israel? A black man’s life or a white man, the homeless family or the one’s in the mansion, rich or poor, religion, ethnicity, and so much more.
The freedom to travel is one of the greatest blessings of my life, of all our lives it’s a freedom so many do not have and in some cases may never have. From the richest to the poorest countries every single one of us have a story to tell. And they are just as fascinating as yours and mine. People we should have nothing in common with are the ones we have to most common with and we hear ourselves saying ‘me too.’ And it doesn’t/shouldn’t matter if a person is A black man’s life or a white man, the homeless family or the one’s in the mansion, rich or poor, religion, ethnicity, and so much more.
how do we measure the life of a woman or a man?