I look at my own kids -- now 8 and 12 -- and think about how much the events of the past five years have shaped who they are. What must it be like for that child in Iraq heading into his or her teen years with almost no memory of a life without war. Maybe some distant hazy memories of a more normal life -- of being able play outside without fear, of regular electricity and running water. Overshadowing those will be the last five years filled with check points, bombings, stories about people being dragged out of their homes and cars, street battles between different militias, seeing heavily armored soldiers patrolling through the streets. These are their entire reality.
I'm sure there's a whole body of literature out there on how growing up in a war zone effects children, and how it impacts them as adults. In a way, it seems too grim to investigate.
Here's an article from the Guardian last year that touches on theses issues.
What future horrors are we sowing?
[Iraqi boys in a refugee camp in Baghdad play with toy guns. Photograph: Namir Noor-Eldeen/Reuters]
3 comments:
That photo really brought home your point. The older boy seems to be enjoying playing "war" while the younger child shows so much fear.
How horrible!
Excellent post and point!
Thanks Baby.
Part of me hates to blog about such things like this, which everyone knows are horrible, when I feel like I have nothing new to add. There's that voice in my head saying "Yup, war is hell. Lots of people get hurt. Why are you talking about this"
And yet, that feels like a crappy reason not to blog about it.
I like what you said about relating it to your own kids' experiences of the last 5 years. It makes things clearer and allows you to be more empathetic when you think about it that way. Of course, when you see a picture like that, who WOULDN'T be empathetic?
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