All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.

From the ashes a fire shall be woken.
A light from the shadow shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken,
The crownless again shall be king.

~J.R.R. Tolkien

Monday, June 03, 2013

Surviving

Last Friday, I went to a refugee art exhibition with my friend.
She is doing an architectural project related to refugees.
It was a small exhibition, yet big, on many levels.

Standing there, hearing first-hand experience from a girl about her life as a victim of persecution in her own country, as a refugee in this nation, what this nation means to her, and what art means to her, is inspiring. It is a life that we will never fully comprehend, as we always live in a peaceful environment.

Those conflicts that we thought are big in our country, are so small compared to theirs.
However, we should not take conflicts lightly, as they can grow; as they grow, they can end up very wrongly. If only everybody could be more reflective on what they do. Really, what they do, on many, many levels; not just one, not just on the surface. But, with ego that comes with every body, it is just not easy to achieve. We like to think we are pretty humble. But I think, what we are born with, what we are born into, only allows a certain extent of humility, it cannot go further than that, unless we switch place with people who really are underprivileged.


The Refugee Art Project

A postcard I bought at the exhibition.




One of the others simply read:
50 months in detention.


Don't be fooled by hopeful words, yet, we can't help ourselves.

I should always remind myself, remind myself.

No comments:

Post a Comment