The other day my mother stopped by for a coffee and so me and Marjeta chatted with her for half an hour about this and that, a regular small talk. Then the topic about the events in Kenya emerged and we exchanged a few rather typical phrases about it: “Yeah, terrible, I mean, what people do to each other, really horrible and painful, yeah, well, yeah…” Took a couple of deep breathes and than followed the conversation to other topics, like weather, prices going up in supermarkets etc.
After a couple of hours, the realization caught up with me. It was so terribly easy. To just hide myself behind the justification: “Well, yeah, life is like this, what can you do…” and turn away. And continue living my cute little immaculate life, hidden in this sweet place… As long as nobody hurts me or my kids or my wife, I hear no evil and see no evil. Disgusting!
I do not see my relation to all the immense amount of suffering of individuals around the planet in terms of responsibility and guilt. This is quite debatable, I know, and I do not really care, to be frank. Is it my responsibility or not, what is my responsibility… Blah blah blah.
I can only relate to two things right now: what is alive in me NOW and what kind of person do I want to be.
What is alive in me now is a strong feeling that it is not right. It definitely does not feel right to deny it all. It does not make me feel more fulfilled and peaceful and happy, when I turn my gaze away. It does not meet my need for a meaningful life AT ALL!
And what kind of person do I want to be? How do I want to live through my existence? I definitely do not want to be a person who hides, ignores and does not care about other people’s pain and suffering. And I do want to be able to say something when my kids, in say 15 years, ask me: “Now, you smart-ass, have you ever done anything worthwhile in this regard?”
” PULITZER PRIZE ” winning photo taken in 1994 during the Sudan famine.
The picture depicts a famine stricken child crawling towards an United Nations food camp, located a kilometer away.
The vulture is waiting for the child to die so that it can eat it. This picture shocked the whole world. No one knows what happened to the child, including the photographer Kevin Carter who left the place as soon as the photograph was taken.
Three months later he committed suicide due to depression.
omg, this picture is horrible and bone-chilling. With how time and money we in the US spend on diet food and related stuff, it’s mind-boggling that many people in other parts of the world actually wonder where the next meal is coming from.
Comment by Money Talk — January 25, 2008 @ 10:50 pm
I can bet that kid died, you can see how long its arms and legs are, yet its not using them. Which means it cant, cause Im sure if it could get to the UN food camp any faster it would. Sad but true.
Comment by Kathryn — August 19, 2008 @ 5:35 pm
PICK UP THAT CHILD AND RUN WITH IT. A KILOMETER ONLY? This isn’t some nature documentary where you’re pretty much not allowed to stop the wolf from snarfing up the newborn fawn, these are people. You snatch anybody you see like that up and bolt with them tucked up under your arm like a quarterback.
NOT OKAY.
Comment by Kylie — September 22, 2009 @ 11:17 pm
Money Talk – Could not agree with you more
Kylie – yes, this is something that has been on my mind too!
Comment by Robert — September 24, 2009 @ 1:27 pm
this picture shows to me, i think there is no humans in this world now.the photographer won the prize.but did we think about the child. the eagle not only looking for the child death the photographer waiting . think what’s different between the eagle and the man.nothing it wants food and he wants money
Comment by a human — October 8, 2009 @ 12:14 pm
The photographer could have saved the child. But he just took the picture & ran away from the place.
Comment by Sagar — October 31, 2009 @ 5:29 pm
I read that the photographer was told due to disease from the famine that they(the group) was instructructed to NOT touch or go near anyone who was sick. I felt the same way and cried like a little girl for I dont know how long when I saw this and had to read up on this..NO ONE with a heart would have ever walked away from this child so close to a food line…was there anyone else near from the baby’s family?, or was the baby all ALONE in the midle of the desert by itself?…C’mon use your head and think b4 you comment…the riddicule and torment from that photographer sufferd from people NOT using thier common sense was partly why he commited suicide…I pray for people with NO COMMON SENSE….And of course the WHOLE group of people who saw this and could not save the child…..PRAY PEOPLE PRAY
Comment by Kevin — January 1, 2010 @ 2:40 am
Emotive capture… I believe with a heart that most of us have, we’re able to feel the urge to help, yes but the photographer died, i believe he hasn’t had that will power then to either let the child die as a representative of Sudan or be responsible for the death of this child as he may have his own struggles many of us are dying to know.
Comment by Michelle — April 21, 2010 @ 12:37 pm
Human, Sagar, Kevin and Michelle – thanks for all your valuable comments. And welcome.
Comment by Robert — April 21, 2010 @ 7:15 pm