Monday, August 2, 2010

How lucky am I?

Typing from my laptop, watching our freshly bathed dogs battle over a tennis ball, I just felt a little flutter from our developing seamonkey. I have a husband who loves, supports and cares for me. We are both get paid to do what we love, we have a nice home, and never want for food or drink.

How is it fair that half-way across the world, where people are just now waking up (it's nearly 6am there), women are subject to severe and life-threatening corporeal punishment at the Taliban's whim?



It is unfair of me, but I still am completely torn about our presence in Afghanistan. I think that US can do a lot of good for the people there, but, from what little I know, it should involve a lot more education, and infrastructure. And not just American education - we need trained Afghani instructors teaching boys and girls, and men and women, of all ages.
Literacy of the entire population is estimated at 34%. Female literacy is 10%.
Illiteracy is a weapon of the evil and the terrified, because it leads to people learning, seeking new information, and forming their own opinions. (Certainly mis-information can abound, as there are many examples of here, and while dishonest the writers of such muck know that they also have to compete with reputable, reliable information.)

So, I guess today, I'm just very thankful to be literate and loved.

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