Sunday, January 25, 2009
A Suggestion for Mr. Maliki
NPR was low, but audible as we backed out of the driveway, bound for school. The boys and I had been engrossed in a conversation about who-knows-what, and my mind wasn't registering the latest report on a bombing in Baghdad. A child was talking about her loss of childhood, how she couldn't leave the house to play, how her father had been killed last week.
Max asked, "Where is that happening?"
I snapped out of my fog.
"In Iraq, on the other side of the world."
"Why are people killing each other?"
"Because they disagree about things they think are important, like who gets to be in charge, who gets to make decisions."
There's been a lot of talk around our house lately about the process of electing a new President and the magnificence of an orderly transfer of power. Time for more elaboration.
"Around the world, people have different ways of resolving things when they disagree. In some places, like here in the United States, we elect people who make decisions for us. And if we don't like the choices they're making, we can vote for someone else next time. In some other places, people who disagree fight to resolve their disagreements."
"And whoever is the last person alive gets his way?"
"Sometimes. Or one of the groups gets tired of fighting and gives up or gives in."
"Why don't they just play 'Rock, Paper, Scissors?'"
Why, indeed?
Max asked, "Where is that happening?"
I snapped out of my fog.
"In Iraq, on the other side of the world."
"Why are people killing each other?"
"Because they disagree about things they think are important, like who gets to be in charge, who gets to make decisions."
There's been a lot of talk around our house lately about the process of electing a new President and the magnificence of an orderly transfer of power. Time for more elaboration.
"Around the world, people have different ways of resolving things when they disagree. In some places, like here in the United States, we elect people who make decisions for us. And if we don't like the choices they're making, we can vote for someone else next time. In some other places, people who disagree fight to resolve their disagreements."
"And whoever is the last person alive gets his way?"
"Sometimes. Or one of the groups gets tired of fighting and gives up or gives in."
"Why don't they just play 'Rock, Paper, Scissors?'"
Why, indeed?
