We Cannot Turn Our Faces or Our Backs
Over 11 million people are displaced right now because of the conflict in Syria. 11 million. It’s hard for me to fathom the enormity of that number. For perspective, that is more than the population of Wyoming, Vermont, Alaska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Delaware, Montana, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, and Maine combined. 11 million people who do not currently have what the UN have declared as basic human rights. Lives are literally at stake in places torn apart by war and chaos. We cannot turn our faces or our backs . Talking about the situation can be difficult because it makes us acknowledge that inequality and injustice actually exist. This is what author and advocate for equality Gary Howard refers to as the Luxury of Ignorance (Howard, 2006). For so long, it has been easier for me to glide right on by these issues because, as soon as I admit injustice exists, I am forced to then either become part of the problem or part of the solution. Becoming pa...