Sunday, November 6, 2011

What can I do?

I have been reading about the Bang Bang Club, a group of four photojournalists who covered the Apartheid conflicts from the time that Nelson Mandela was released from jail until the elections in South Africa.  I read that two of the photographers won Pulitizers for their photographs.  The photograph that resonated with me was that of a small girl, striken by famine in the Sudan, who is being stalked by a vulture.
Pulitzer prize winning photo by Kevin Carter
Kevin Carter who took the photograph had been documenting the famine in the Sudan as well as covering the bloody conflicts during Apartheid.  The intensity of the work affected him deeply, and he began to use drugs and alcohol to get by.  He was criticized for not helping the child in the photo.  

The death of fellow photographer and friend, Ken Oosterbroek, affected him deeply. Maybe he saw too many horrible things.  But he committed suicide, writing that "he was "depressed . . . without phone . . . money for rent . . . money for child support . . . money for debts . . . money!!! . . . I am haunted by the vivid memories of killings & corpses & anger & pain . . . of starving or wounded children, of trigger-happy madmen, often police, of killer executioners . . . " And then this: "I have gone to join Ken if I am that lucky."

I can read about the horrors that we inflict on each other and cannot imagine what it must be like to witness these things first hand.  My wife has talked some about her time in Ethiopia which was for the most part happy.  But not long after she left, many of the people she taught were killed.  She doesn't dwell on this painful part.  Yet, I know those memories are palpably painful.

I have been fortunate to not have had violence in my life.  Yet, so many live in fear every day. And the situation appears to be more desperate than ever here and abroad.   I don't know where I am going with this, other than to say that at this moment, I wonder how it was ordained that I am in the life that I have rather than the one of suffering that so many experience.

I ask myself "What can I do?"  Maybe I cannot do much about the world situation, but I can reach out my hand to another who is troubled, listen to them, smile and be a voice if asked.  I know that there is much more to be done. I am searching for that answer today.

18 comments:

  1. Oh Syd, what a powerfully horrifying photograph. My God...I would want to take every single one of those babies home with me and fatten them up and give them an education and hold them and love them and dress them in soft pieces of clothing....so heartbreaking.

    Syd I think, and this is just my opinion from what I see of you here....that your part is being the gentle man that you are, extending a hand is huge to those who need an act of kindness. You are willing to do what is in front of you and that is all anyone can ask. As the doors open you walk through. Bless your heart Syd.

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  2. Yes. If we were to take in all the pain of the world, we would probably end up killing ourselves too and yet, there is nothing to be gained by that for the world.
    We have to keep our hearts open, I guess. We have to do what we can in the narrow slices of world we are able to see.
    You do that, Syd. Every day.

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  3. dang. i am pretty well speechless after the ugh picture...we have so much and some so little...

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  4. Human beings like to think that we have moved far from the animal world of predator and prey. This is not the case, it's simply that the ways we prey upon each other have changed somewhat. I've come to accept that I will never understand some aspects of life on this planet.

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  5. Thank you for sharing this. This post certainly puts my supposed problems in perspective.

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  6. I am stationed in Afghanistan and I feel similarly helpless. I am fortunate to have not experienced a tremendous amount of violence in my life and find it difficult to wrap my head around the life some must live.

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  7. Thanks for the reminder. It is hard to know what to do sometimes, it is so overwhelming.

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  8. And there is PLENTY of food to go around. This is heartbreaking and caused by greed. Syd, I'm glad your heart is soft enough to be touched by this and tender enough to understand a wife only able to speak of the good times. Prayers and tears.

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  9. Syd, maybe what you can do, you are....you are bringing awareness. I love Mother Teresa for all that she did in her life. And, she saw many such horrors. Once, a wealthy woman wanted to donate a large sum of money and Mother told her that what was necessary was for every person to settle for just a little less. She told her that the next time she bought a sari to buy a less expensive one and to give what she saved to the poor. I have often thought as you have.....thinking the need is too great but, I think that one prayer, spreading awareness, doing one thing that you can do is what we can do. My best friend adopted 5 children, 2 from Ethiopia. Physical demands are only the beginning. Attachment isssues also create a lot of problems. I don't know where I'm going with this either except to say that the problems are bigger than any one person.

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  10. One person at a time, one hand up when we are able.

    I think that is the secret.

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  11. I knew two of those photographers Syd and endemic violence across Africa has left wounds that won't heal. No easy answers -- and it may take generations for peace and justice to become a way of life.

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  12. It is overwhelming to know so many children are suffering so terribly....& I feel so far removed to feel like I could cause any change that makes a significant difference. But, there are things we can do. We sponsor a child named Concy from Uganda for $30 a month through food for the hungry. The other day we got a picture she drew of her thatched hut...we pray for her & send her loving cards & letters. Prayer is a powerful method of healing....ask God to show you what you can do, & he'll answer.
    God bless

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  13. I wonder how it was ordained that I am in the life that I have rather than the one of suffering that so many experience.

    I ask myself the same thing, Syd. And I also ask that in light of the fact that I am aware of this--there but for the grace of God go I--why am I not a happier person?

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  14. Wow...but for the grace of my God, there go I,....

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  15. I have so often had that same feeling...why am I one of the fortunate ones? I have come to believe that if I do the very best I can in my small world that it may resonate to others and, hopefully, it will spread. Will we ever see a time where there is peace in our lifetime? Not as long as greed and power rule the day.

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  16. http://www.truthdig.com/report/print/finding_freedom_in_handcuffs_20111107/
    Please read this..it is heart-wrenching and resonates with what you write..:)
    Syd, you rock and wish there were more like you around recognizing the lack of justice...
    J.

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  17. Syd... you are awake. This is an enormous gift... for you, and for others. Thank you for opening your eyes, and thereby opening others'.

    As for "how I can help"... When I came to AA, this was a big problem for me. AA wanted me to "trust God / clean house / help others." As the child of an alcoholic family, I wanted to help (i.e., FIX) everyone, and Al-Anon tells me I'm not able to do that. I've had to become humble and learn there is only so much I can do.

    Someone said, "The poor you will always have with you." I'm not a Bible thumper but I like some of these stories, and the point of this one is that I need to focus on what is in front of me. One unfortunate effect of the digital publishing age is that it brings images of people who need help who are far away, but they seem to be in front of me. I try to ask, Who is in front of me that I can help today? and then bring that to my nightly review... with love, /G

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Let me know what you think. I like reading what you have to say.