I have mentioned before that Ruth and I have been on highway 401 or parallel to it twice as the cortege of funeral coaches and other vehicles made their way along the Highway of Heroes. On a couple more occasions we have seen the gathered crowds of supporters on highway overpasses. It is a moving tribute, but we end up feeling sick with sadness for these families in their grief. A great deal has been written lately about the growing strength and determination of the Taliban, the militant Islamicists. These fundamentalists are not going away, and they are ruthless.
At the same time we hear that a growing number of children are going to school in the desparately poor country of Afghanistan. Real schools with real education -- not just indoctrination. A significant percentage of these school children are girls, even though there have been vicious attacks upon them. A group of girls were attacked by some Taliban insurgents and doused with acid. Horrible. Yet they remain determined to get an education.
An editorial today in the Globe and Mail newspaper pointed out some of the hopeful signs and included some statistics about education:
Of the 5.7 million students enrolled last year, according to Afghan government data, 35 per cent are girls. About 800,000 of the total were new students, and 40 per cent of them are girls. The high schools graduated 69,000 students, of whom 25 per cent are girls. There are, thankfully, many other brave girls in Afghanistan.
What do you think: is it possible to be peacemakers in spirit yet engaged in an armed conflict? Do you feel that Canada's mission in Afghanistan is worthwhile? Do you think that the 2011 withdrawal date should be firm and fast? There aren't easy answers, yet these are Canadians men and women fighting for and dying for a cause.
1 comment:
Hello David. I am back. Life has been a bit crazy lately. I have begun a three-week initiative on peace at the church, and it has kept me very busy. It actually starts this Sunday and on Feb. 22, we have a guest speaker coming who just recently returned from Israel and Palestine. I am excited about this initiative, but I feel as if I am doing most of the work.
Anyway, I did want to comment on this blob, seeing as no one else did. It is a difficult question. Do we keep the peace with guns? We live in a very militaristic culture. At President Obama's inauguration, I noted the cannons that were fired after he was sworn in. What does this symbolize? I know that at my own father's funeral, there was a 21-gun salute. What does this mean, especially as my dad was never in a war or military action?
A show of force seems to be the easiest and quickest way to solve a dispute. When genocide, mass murder, torture or worse are reported though, it feels like the more powerful countries need to be taking some responsibility for the protection of innocent people.
When is war justified? Never? In self-defense? For the protection of innocents? I don't know, but there must be another way!
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