I’ve never understood the premise behind this phrase. As far as I know, every heart bleeds and being liberal doesn’t really have anything to do with wanting to help people.
It’s so unfortunate that we live in such a dangerous time. That weapons are so easily obtainable, and people are so desperate that they are willing to hurt innocence. It is extremely unfortunate that there are big entities such as governments and corporations that are willing to allow atrocities to occur in the name of business. It really is a shame. But that doesn’t mean we have to follow suit. And it certainly doesn’t mean that we have to be afraid.
I once taught at a migrant school on the border of Thailand and Burma. One day I went to a wedding in a small village in Burma. There were three military groups present at the wedding, all of them were happy and celebrating together. Soldiers were coming up and getting their picture taken with me (being the foreigner), we were eating and laughing and celebrating the love of the newlyweds. It was wonderful.
Two days later war broke out and government troops rolled in, shot up the village and murdered a bunch of people. This is the reality of many areas around the world, and I imagine it has always been and always will be that way. However, on that day, our school’s pastor went to that village and snuck a bunch of families over the border to Thailand and hid them in his house.
I had no idea. I remember I walked into his house that evening and there were people lying on the floor everywhere all looking at me in silence. In their eyes I saw complete bewilderment. The kind of bewilderment that shatters worlds. They had absolutely nothing, nothing but the helping hand of one kind man. He put his life on the line to help these people when they needed him. And he saved their lives. Now those children attend school and will grow up knowing that at one point someone they didn’t even know reached out and helped them, and they will be forever appreciative.
You see, when you help someone in need, you create a foundation. You afford them an opportunity to overcome the helplessness and bewilderment they are feeling, no matter how big or small. That is something that does not get forgotten. It pushes everyone forward instead of backwards.
It’s scary to think that there are angry people scheming everyday, and some will find their way here and we are going to have to deal with it. How we deal with it will become the groundwork of our future and our children’s future. We can slam doors and pick up guns and walk around terrified of any change in the wind. And every time someone new shows up with a different wardrobe singing different songs to the sky, we can blame them.
Or, we can be brave. We can learn from each other and from history. We can refuse to cower to oppressive entities. We can share. We can eat, sing, and dance together. We can educate. We can show our children what it means to really be free.
I know this is easier said than done. I have never had my family shot at or blown up at the hands of some nutcase, but I have to believe that inside my bleeding heart there is something that says, we are all the same, and there is a way to help the vast majority of people who have had their lives shattered, and who are now being persecuted on all ends because of radical groups that intend to disrupt the way the world should operate. We need to figure out what to do as a city, just as other cities are deciding what their own roles will be. I don’t see us having any other choice at this point, the world is too small, and every stone that gets thrown into the water sends tidal waves in every direction.
I understand the fear. It is a very real thing. Nobody wants to be on the receiving end of violence. Nobody wants to see the people that they love get hurt. Everyone wants to feel safe in their home. Everyone. Such should be their right. We all hail from families of immigrants.
We cannot build walls forever.
Now, what if out of all this madness with Isis and Putin and state governors symbolically slamming their doors, what if Buffalo does what it has always done. And just be itself. There are literally very few places on earth that have the reputation that Buffalo does. We are unique in that the rest of the world (that knows of us) automatically counts us out. We have stood alone through everything, and what do we do – we persevere no matter what, always. The City of Good Neighbors undeniably proves to be so, time and time again. So, what if we filled the desolate areas of the city with Syrian refugees. What if we stood up and said, “Yeah, absolutely, we will put you up.”
What would happen?
Well, I can give you a quick personal perspective. Most of these people are already educated. They would come here with nothing in their pockets but skills to work with. Eager and willing to work. They would take whatever was given to them, (i.e.. inner-city housing, entry level jobs) and they would build upon it. So now you are looking at a new workforce willing to occupy a currently shattered land in the city proper, ready to build Buffalo. Their children would be put into school. They would assimilate, making friends in all different cultures, learning about each other, trusting each other. They would grow up with a new appreciation for the world and for those who helped them.
Isn’t that what we want? Don’t we want to be that foundation? The opportunity is at our doorstep.
Fear and anger will never change the world for the better. It takes understanding and courage.
We have such a short time here. In the end, it all comes down to what kind of person we want to be. Do we want to be the one holding up a gun, or holding out a hand?
At this point, the most important thing is to be open to conversation, and to peacefully come up with the solutions that will be best for Buffalo and best for the world.
Photos: Rally images were taken on November 19, 2015 at the Buffalo Peace Rally