Xenophobia: what are YOU doing?
That’s the question that’s been on my mind for a while now. I’ve absorbed all the media reports and the opinions of various armchair analysts from around the world for the last few days and while I appreciate all the information they are sending my way, it’s not enough for me.
Here I sit, in my safe, warm little house in the suburbs, feeling distressed, anxious and upset for the thousands and thousands of people in our country, even in my city, who have had to run for their lives. These people have had to leave everything behind and look for shelter, both from the elements and from very real life-threatening danger. They have nothing. They are afraid for their lives, their families have been ripped apart and they need help to survive.
I can’t sit here any longer and not do anything. I’m not going to allow myself to think that this is somebody else’s problem, that this does not affect me. It’s happening within a few kilometers of my home, it’s getting worse and worse by the day and more and more people are in peril. And who knows where this is going?
I’m not just going to look at it from (what I think is) a safe distance and wait for it to play out. No I’m not going to sit on my butt and do nothing but talk about it anymore. I am in a position to help. I need to step up and offer my assistance to these people in some way.
And you? What about you? You, sitting there in front of your screen, you who woke up this morning in a warm bed, had a hot bath/shower, brushed your teeth, wrapped yourself in warm clothes and filled your tummy with eggs and bacon (or croissants, or muesli, or whatever) this morning … what are you going to do? Anything?
Enough chit chat. I’m off to take some action. Later …