We're All In This Together

Imagine your life is being threatened, for being who you are, or believing what you believe in, or for belonging to a group you were born into Not being able to move freely around your town. Imagine your neighbours are missing, presumed dead. Imagine you fear for your life, your partner's life, and the life of your children. Or your parents.

I can't imagine getting to a point of real fear, to the point of fleeing. Leaving the life you know. Not having any other option. I cannot comprehend it - but that is a reality for people in parts of the world that are frequently mentioned on the news channels, and in areas we so rarely hear about, for some reason. For people from places members of our community are from. For people now housed in refugee camps around the world, or in detention centres awaiting processing.

Families. Children. Lives on hold.

I can't imagine having seen death, and feeling the palpable fear that that could happen to me, or those I care about, any day. Whilst going about our day, going to school or work, or having To be fearful of our lives.

Can't imagine needing to flee, and having to find a way to escape with my life.

I don't understand the lack of compassion for people in this situation. Is it because Australian's just can't imagine? I don't want to believe that it's because Australians are just selfish and self serving... How is it the the media, our country's leaders, and so many of the general public, are so heartless about such a scenario. How?

The more people travel, the more we all realise that really, at the end of the day, we are all the same. The experience of living, all around the world, is so much the same as one another, at it's most basic level. We are all the same. People trying to get by, be loved and to love, to make a living, to be something and someone they respect in themselves. 

Compassion, is what the world needs. An understanding of what other people may be going through, or have seen or where they have been. Is it really that hard?

This post is for the Amnesty International Blogging Competition 2013.