Are we blind?

Imagine a life without education, without the luxuries of shoes or AC in a classroom. Your future, gone in an instant. Many of us have a clear idea of what our futures hold. We know which classes to take, have planned out schedules, applied to graduate schools and jobs. The world is at our feet and nothing is holding us back, freedom described at its finest. Now imagine it gone in an instant. Imagine you are stripped of all your rights and you live in constant fear; that is how the children of Afghanistan live.

As I look around me I’m surrounded by students who struggle to get classes on OASIS. As they fight for classes, they constantly complain about how slow the server is. Yet the children of Afghanistan don’t pick and choose classes. They don’t have backpacks or laptops – they do not even know if they will make it to school that day. We live in a society so blinded by the “here” and the “right now”; we’re blinded by selfish needs and what the media feeds us. Many of us sit there so content with being spoon fed by the hands of our government that we refuse to tear our eyes away from the TV drama airing tonight. We refuse to take action, to learn something new. There is no limit to the difference we can make, so why limit ourselves?

Sign made for Boba (photo by Archana Reddy)

Yesterday I was unable to make it to class, but I did manage to get to Boba to drop off a box there. I am hoping it will catch the attention of those who frequently go there. They have been very helpful and they assisted me in placing the box somewhere where it might catch the eye of customers. I encourage those of you in Tampa to pay a visit and drop off some school supplies as well! I am continuing to reach out to other branches of the school for their help.

Get up off your couch, turn off the TV, do some research, and get involved. It is about time we stop being so self centered and selfish; it is about time we did something we could truly be proud of. Are we blind? Can we not see the children of Afghanistan? Have we become so indifferent towards another person’s suffering?

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