I feel aware of a sense of mobilization, triggered by the images of the refugees' struggles. The mobilization I see is people wishing to help. I am hearing of, and seeing, local efforts to send resources to support those vast swathes of people who are seeking safety. It helps me remember that most people are waiting to prove humanity and connection. A fresh breath of air, substantially healthier than alarmist warnings about the shadowy threat of 'others' crossing borders.
The images are at times harrowing, at times uplifting, at times humbling, particularly at the trust which is implied in those seen sitting and waiting for their chance. I am also aware they remain images to me. Each of those faces, including those of children being held aloft in need of a place on a bus or for food, have seen and felt things which are outside my experience. Those children will grow with these experiences as part of their narratives. The pregnant walkers are coping day to day, with their experiences feeding their unborn child's development. We see hope in the images, which is surely what makes those journeys possible to contemplate. When I consider the forward-moving ripple effect of this time I hope that compassion can be sustained.
We may also be able to use this time to remind ourselves of our own comparative safety in a context we may know to be less than perfect but one, at least, in which daily life has not become an unknown.
The images are at times harrowing, at times uplifting, at times humbling, particularly at the trust which is implied in those seen sitting and waiting for their chance. I am also aware they remain images to me. Each of those faces, including those of children being held aloft in need of a place on a bus or for food, have seen and felt things which are outside my experience. Those children will grow with these experiences as part of their narratives. The pregnant walkers are coping day to day, with their experiences feeding their unborn child's development. We see hope in the images, which is surely what makes those journeys possible to contemplate. When I consider the forward-moving ripple effect of this time I hope that compassion can be sustained.
We may also be able to use this time to remind ourselves of our own comparative safety in a context we may know to be less than perfect but one, at least, in which daily life has not become an unknown.