I've just listening to an interview on BBC Radio 4 with the head of the Iraq national archive, Dr. Saad Eskander. A more gentle and measured yet strong fellow you'd be hard pressed to find. His story is tragic and inspirational. He left London, where he was living in exile, in 2003 to return to Baghdad, amidst increasing sectarian violence. And yet, in 5 years, despite occasional guilt about taking his children away from the safety of London, he has never regretted going back. Not once, he insists. What impresses me most is how strong a tie he feels to his homeland. It is so strong that he would risk his life and that of his family everyday for the opportunity to contribute to its rebuilding. It makes me wonder, now, living thousands of miles from home, if i would do the same if my country needed rebuilding. My country certainly has its problems, different but no fewer than any other country. What is the threshold, then, that would trip that beacon to return. Part of me hopes I never find out. The only reason would be to know better what i'm made of. I'd like to believe that stories like Dr. Eskander's would come back to me in a time of need. Thinking more broadly, his story should be a lesson about taking risks to help anybody in need.
Listen to the interview here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/takingastand/pip/0u2j8/
Happy New Year, everyone! I hope you all have a wonderful and enriching 2008.
1 comment:
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