Do I deserve the things I have been through? - By Emanuele Politi
Everyone
needs to make sense of his/her life. Good and bad things happen for a reason,
that is the way our brain works, that is what our relatives, other people and
society as a whole tell us. The sensation of losing control of the environment around us, to be twisted in the storming wind, thus casually
becoming victims of one's destiny is painful and scary. Does not matter what anyone
did in the past, does not matter whether someone chose to fly away from one's homeland voluntarily or not, not a soul in this camp was able to predict the
odyssey one has been through. Quoting someone else: 'If you think, if you judge it
conventionally, you will condemn them to five thousand years of prison plus expenses.
But if you understand, if you let your eyes rest on them for a moment, although
not lilies they are still victims of this world.'
It seems like an
easy message to send, particularly to those who have been raped and mutilated,
tortured and enslaved. Shockingly, those who suffered the most are also the
people who blame themselves the most. They feel ashamed of not having been
strong enough to defend themselves. They feel guilty for not having been good
enough to keep the promise they had made to their families. They feel foolish
for not having doubted the evil person who betrayed them. Today, sat a man
crumpled on the ground; he covered his head trying to dissociate himself from the
reality he faced; flashbacks that never left him alone. He felt ashamed
of something he was not able to tell us. Lost in the darkness of his mind. This
silent cry resonated in the cabin… deafening.
By Emanuele Politi
Comments
Post a Comment