“Please choose the way of peace... In the short term there may be winners and losers in this war that we all dread. But that never can, nor never will justify the suffering, pain and loss of life your weapons will cause.” – Mother Teresa in a letter to George Bush and Saddam Hussein in January 1991.
Since they didn’t listen to her, a war started which caused no end of trouble to this day. And then more wars like that got started which are causing more trouble, like in Libya and Syria.
Recently I talked with a lady in Germany who still remembers the suffering she and her family endured after WW II. War and destruction were sewn like the wind and back came a whirlwind of the same kind. We always reap what we sow. Many Germans were refugees after this horrible war. They had to leave everything behind and lost their houses and lands to this day. This lady told me how she and her siblings sometimes had to go to bed hungry because there was not enough food to eat.
We talked about the refugees of today and how poverty can cause people to get desperate. We know too well from our time in Africa, that there are hundreds of millions of people who would leave their country immediately if they would have a chance. But this shouldn’t and wouldn’t be necessary if things would be done properly!
Why wait until more people start fleeing their country? Why not find a way to cover the basic needs of their citizens like food, shelter, education etc. right where they live? It doesn’t even cost that much! But of course it has to be done the right way and there has to be better distribution of the money that is available for development.
Somebody who recently received information about our school in Mushapo wrote us the following: “You are doing with your work what Europe should have done many years ago. Now people are coming to Germany who are fleeing war and poverty. I’m sure you help people with your commitment there through education and training to be able to lead a dignified life in their homeland. If you see the lively children in those videos, you have already achieved a great deal. My wife and I congratulate you and your team.“ And here is another comment concerning the refugee crisis by someone else who wrote us just a few days ago: “I hope that things now finally move in the right direction (to combat the causes locally - like you do!!!) ... I thank you so much for your efforts in Africa - helping people to help themselves, which is the right thing to do!!!”
We know that our efforts only help in one little area, but we hope that it sets an example for others of what can be done. If things would be done properly there would be no need for people to flee their countries and migrate to other countries.
When I spoke with one of my brothers about this subject, he brought out another aspect of this problem which goes further and if implemented could get bigger results. He talked about how things should be changed on a big international level, both in the developed countries and the poor nations which I’d like to explain another time as it is a big subject. In any case I hope that this huge wave of refugees will bring some needed changes so that the people in the war-torn and poor countries can live more in peace and get their needs met so they will be happy to stay in their home countries and can live a decent life there.
With all the wars, atrocities and injustices going on in this world right now, this beautiful prayer of St. Francis of Assisi came to mind:
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy.
…Grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we
receive…
Copyright © 2015 W. Schmidt