Despite the stresses of everyday life that face the people of our country, at least our children are not throwing hand grenades.
The problems that burden the American population became less important when I read about the situation that faces Iraqi children. Karl Vick, columnist for The Washington Post, wrote an article on Sept. 4 detailing the increased injury counts to U.S. troops in Iraq in the month of August (1,100). At the article’s end, he noted that Iraqi insurgents are offering adolescent boys $150 to throw grenades at U.S. patrols.
As the lives of Americans seem to abound with endless issues, there is always something to remind us of how privileged we are in this country. Without a doubt, there are certain aspects of our nation that need improvement, especially for the children of our society. As presidential candidates promise a better living environment for children and adults, we need the occasional reminder that the current state of our nation is the best the world has to offer.
Americans suffer from “bigger and better syndrome.” We are constantly in motion to improve upon what we have. We do not take enough time to appreciate our current blessings; for most Americans, the glass is always half empty. While we are attempting to enhance the already satisfying lives of our citizens, we cannot forget the choices that children of Iraq and Sudan make each day in order to survive another day.
I realize that it is hard for all of us, including myself at times, to look beyond our need for designer clothes and the latest tech gadgets. We ought to see that children on the other side of the world are coerced with payment to kill our servicemen and women who were once accepted as liberators by these same children. This is not to say that our personal concerns are frivolous, but when we look outside the “bubble” of our beautiful UM campus, we will understand that there comes a time when we should be satisfied with what we have rather than always looking for more.
Sam Rega can be contacted at s.rega@umiami.edu.