Friday, March 16, 2007
Memoirs of a boy soldier
As I read A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a boy soldier I couldn't’t get my own experiences as well as my juvies’ experiences out of my head. It was fortunate for Ishmael, the spirited author, that his post traumatic stress syndrome was patiently treated by the people who separated him from his dysfunction, UNICEF. He deserved better than to be thrown into not so voluntary service, inspired by brown-brown, cocaine and marijuana given to these children in heavy doses, after his village was torn apart by rebellious soldiers. His courageousness throughout the war trials as well as his exodus out of Sierra Leone was cillingly nerve racking.
Post traumatic stress syndrome appears to be a cultural legacy that this species chooses to leave to our children. Ishmael’s story was told, but the thousands of others have yet to be heard. The world is covered in people who just want to get out of the insanity. Some of them succeed, but are not transitioned like the author of this remarkable book, and the result is that they become a burden to society, and often are repeatedly imprisoned where “reform” is, at best, a joke.
There is a way to discontinue the irrational upbringing of our future. In the juvenile detention centers I worked in it became so evident that I was surprised that no one else could see it – perhaps others have, but when they speak, because they hold no paper from some crazy wizard behind a curtain, they are ignored or ridiculed. – However, the path is there if we would just take the first step. Our future will not change until we change the methods we implement to raise our young. – THINK! – Please. For all of us.
Post traumatic stress syndrome appears to be a cultural legacy that this species chooses to leave to our children. Ishmael’s story was told, but the thousands of others have yet to be heard. The world is covered in people who just want to get out of the insanity. Some of them succeed, but are not transitioned like the author of this remarkable book, and the result is that they become a burden to society, and often are repeatedly imprisoned where “reform” is, at best, a joke.
There is a way to discontinue the irrational upbringing of our future. In the juvenile detention centers I worked in it became so evident that I was surprised that no one else could see it – perhaps others have, but when they speak, because they hold no paper from some crazy wizard behind a curtain, they are ignored or ridiculed. – However, the path is there if we would just take the first step. Our future will not change until we change the methods we implement to raise our young. – THINK! – Please. For all of us.
# posted by Bite Me Kissimmee @ 1:29 PM 
