What we need today is not the same thing we needed yesterday. What we needed yesterday is not what we needed before that. We keep changing. Our lives and our need for survival keeps changing.
This is not a mellow dramatic post about “look how much we have grown, and look how far we’ve come” kind of post. This is a literal post about how we change over time and what the need of the day becomes as the days go by.
I remember when I was a child there was no filter. Our parents talked about everything. I think that turned me into a very strong person. Also, I think that was the need for the time. Had I been sheltered I would not have been able to deal with certain things in my life and would have crumbled under the weight of my life or maybe my own choices.
Today, our kids are not the same. We have sheltered them because they have grown up in a different world. Even though the world is literally bare naked in front of them, they know so little about it. Partly because they don’t want to accept it for what it is mostly because of our experiences we are hell-bent on protecting from it.
When issues like Palestine arise we are faced with decisions and we wonder in their “ignorance” did they make the right call? Our parents, that is.
We faced it head-on. We were afraid but we also grew up fearless. We also have uncontrollable anxiety, fearless nonetheless.
So, II decided to shelter my kids a little less. I can’t throw them out into the world because the world doesn’t look like it did in our parents’ time. Also, anxiety. I did explain to them what’s happening in Palestine. I had spoken to them about Kashmir a few months back. We regularly speak about ongoing issues such as the BLM movement and other issues around the world. This time I spoke to them in a lot more detail and showed them some images and videos. Not too violent. It saddens me to say that because I have the option to shield them from how much they take in.
My children’s narrative is in my control as should be every child’s. At this point saying something like this makes me sound insensitive but that is the world we live in. I can protect my kids from showing them the violence and brutality that happens to other children the same age as them. The irony is too much. Saying it out loud is sickening but important.
They will be upset them, they will sleep in my bed a few more nights. In the end, there will be more people in this world who would have heard about what’s happening in Palestine. There will be another generation ready to fight to right the wrongs. Whether they be close to home or somewhere else. They will know that the world is hurting and they have a responsibility. They will know from this point on that a few sleepless nights and some worrying thoughts are just the beginning of a long hard bumpy road that is ahead.
In my opinion, that’s not such a terrible price to pay to raise a conscience responsible generation. We are running out of time. We couldn’t jolt ourselves out of the false comfort until it was too late and look where we are today. Let’s pray we do right by our children; by ALL our children.
forallchildren #istandwithpalestine #freepalestine #Freedom #westandwithpalestine #thechoicewemake #ourchildren #ourfuture #letsmakechange #makehistory #thechildrenofgaza
To Whom It May Concern 