In the picture above, this man lost his leg due to the painful realities of war. He is struggling on his crutches a long the forsaken avenue Jade Maiwan. In a world where destruction can come so swift with the many advanced weapons, it is insane on how fast one's world can be flipped upside down. I find this picture powerful because of this man's will to keep moving. Surrounding him are buildings that have been massacred and his body has been been scarred but yet he seems to move on instead of giving up. Sometimes we give up when we have been faced trials that kick us on the ground, yet we still have our legs and we should use them stand up. With everything we're given, we should really put our trials in perspective. Once we realize how insignificant they can be, we should approach them without hesitation and may even give more than needed. From pictures like this we can learn valuable lessons, motivate us, and give warnings.
When viewing, we should ask ourselves questions: what is happening, what emotions are involved, what is the message, and why did this happen? Afghanistan has been an unstable country for decades with many wars. In between the years 1978 and 2001 Afghanistan lost $240 Billion worth of infrastructure due to the destruction of war ("Collins").
This picture just shows a small glimpse of the destruction that went on in the country. It was 1996 when the Taliban came and seized control of this city, Kabul, and began to implement fundamentalist Islamic law ("Afghanistan timeline"). As part of all this happening, this man lost his leg. With that came the struggles of living with living with only one leg for the rest of his life and city that would take a lifetime to repair. Taking the time to learn about this all of this, I have learned about the many harsh realities in the world. I learned how oblivious and naive I was to problems of the world. Next time I go out to walk, maybe I shouldn't take these legs as much for granted.
“Afghanistan Timeline.” National Catholic Report.
July 19, 2002. EBSCO
Publishing. Web. 31 January,
2013.
Collins, Joseph. Understanding War in
Afghanistan. National Defense Press, 2011. Print
Salgado, Sebastião. Migrations: Humanity in
Transition. New York: Aperture, 1996. 80/81. Print.
2 comments:
It is so interesting to look at a side of this situation that we, in America, rarely get to see. How we view the war in Afghanistan and how they view it are so different. When we think of Afghanistan, we generally think of our soldiers, and not the effect of those soldiers on the people there, even though we might wish that were the case. This photograph is also a great visualization of the words, "Keep Moving Forward." This man has lost so much, but he is going somewhere. He is not just wallowing in self pity of his hard life, he is moving forward, going somewhere else, somewhere better.
That is a really good point Danika! It is incredible how much people are willing to give up to make it to America and when you think about it some of their suffering can be contributed to us and the damage that has been done trying to help them. So many Americans take the freedom they have for granted. The more I learn about the refugees and their struggles, their drive, their determination to find a better home the more I just want to be better. I wonder if America is just as good as they thought it would be when they get here. Are they ever disappointed? I sure hope that people are welcoming and kind to them and take a moment to have compassion and respect for the journey they took to get here.
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