Never again is happening now. In the Iraqi city of Mosul, there is a mass exodus as the Islamic State orders Christians to leave, convert, or die. The Syrian civil war has displaced tens of thousands of Syrian refugees to Lebanon. Historically, Lebanese hate Syrians. The stage is set. It will happen again. And again.
On Sunday evening, I had the privilege to listen as Mr. Paul Rusesabagina spoke to a group in Arlington Heights. Paul Rusesabagina is the Rwandan hotelier who protected 1,268 Hutu and Tutsi refugees during the Rwandan Genocide of 1994. We know his story best through the movie Hotel Rwanda.
1994 - the year before I met my husband. I was living in Chicago, working, and watching cable television. Cable television made global events up close and personal. During the Iran-Iraqi bombings, I hated being home alone. It seemed as though the bombings were as near as Schaumburg.
By 1994, I was finding the trick to T.V. news watching. Reports from Rwanda were devastating. The word Genocide was being used. Again. My solution unfortunately was as simple as a remote click: Click On. Watch. Gasp. Shudder. Click Off
I went to hear Paul Rusesabagina for two reasons. One was that he is a hero. It is an honor to be in the same room as a hero. The next person I hope to be in the same room with is Pope Francis. Or maybe Matt Damon. Or Emma Watson.
The other reason I went is I was curious. What would he suggest we do? By "we" I mean those of us living in the cozy, cushy northwest 'burbs of Chicago. As a citizen of the world, what can I hope to do as 20% of a population is being decimated in a landlocked country in central Africa? Or in the Middle East?
There was so much said by this man and so much more he could share. Three takeaways:
It's All About Power
Almost every situation in human history is about getting and keeping power. You either have the power or you do not. Us/Them, In/Out, Good/Bad, Right/Wrong. The power is always shifting. If you do not have the power, you are out - exiled or marginalized. Convert, leave, or die. Think like we do, get out of our lives, or go to hell.
Every day we can be influenced by power or by lack of power, by trying to gain power or by trying to survive the powers-that-be. Adults/children, Bullies/Bullied, My Faith/Your Faith, My Orientation/Your Orientation. We can think about this and how it is influencing our lives. Then we can think about helping our children think about it.
It's All About Leadership
It is human nature to try to distance from or pretend not to see unpleasantness. As crazy as it sounds, it can be reassuring when our leaders ignore issues or talk around the issues. Or, as in the case of Rwanda, leaders could ignore as almost a million people lost their lives in less than one hundred days.
It is obvious to most of us that our current politics offer major distractions. What we have here in the U.S. is pretty much a partisan pissing contest. Where are the politics of challenging systems that don't work, of cooperating despite our differences, of protecting the most vulnerable? Call me idealistic. Paul Rusesabagina remains idealistic, despite what he has witnessed. And he continues tirelessly working for change in the world.
We can dislike our own complacency. We can expect more from our leaders. We can teach our children to challenge and to question, without punishment for doing so. We can help them recognize that compassion is cool. In their own lives, they can speak out for those that are bullied, for those that our marginalized, for those that may be different.
Words
Mr. Rusesabagina said more than once, "Words can be the best and the worst weapons in a person's arsenal." He encouraged us to sit down and talk. To share awareness. He encouraged the audience to never be silenced as silence implies affirmation.
We can search for truth. We can listen to the truth by which others live.We can teach our children to search for truth.
The truth is I did not come home Sunday evening with bullet points detailing steps to take, as a person or for a nation or for the world. I came home knowing for certain that this will happen again. And again.
The most horrible reality I took home with me Sunday evening was this: Genocide is a product of basic human nature. It is said that we can't change human nature. But, I listened to Paul Rusesabagina and I disagree. He witnessed evil. He continues in hope.
The Kingdom of God is here. Don't take my word for it, Jesus said it first. I believe we can make the world a better place, maybe just one person at a time. One of Paul Rusesabagina's closing comments was this, "He who saves a single life, saves the entire world." That is from the Talmud.
Shalom.
Paul Rusesabagina
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