Somewhere in Syria, a child dreams too.

On the eastern banks of the Mediterranean Sea, a child looks over the body of water and wonders the plausibility of reading while drones fly overhead in an undeclared war on a few. While airborne missiles whistle over the greyish sky, the child dreams of one day positioning him or herself in the position to make choices towards peace.

The contradictions abound. The student reasons that government is corrupt and treats innocent people as collateral, but does so in the name of solidarity and justice. Army drills and shrill cries interrupt morning prayers the way boots on the ground might. The television station tells the student that foreign powers feel compelled to save innocent lives by strategically involving innocent lives in powerful men’s wars. While two commentators argue over the country’s direction, the student wonders why he or she must learn the ways of the corrupt in order to gain control over this land if these are the ways that current corruption works across the world.

In the meantime, the American public, still sore from wars at home and abroad, decries further action, but never mind that. Somewhere in Syria, a child dreams of sustained peace, unencumbered by the political games adults play. They want a first day of a school that they can come back to, not as a shelter from bombs, but really a shelter from ignorance.

Allah bless.

Jose

*** photo c/o http://neobservatory.org/reports/syria-a-modern-humanitarian-failure/ ***