Yes, guys and gals remember that country that “we” supposedly freed from the Taliban just to have it fall back into their hands within days?

Well, I thought I take a look at all those countries that are on my list to stand with because all of those have to deal with violent conflict in one form or another. Maybe we all need to start looking at the bigger picture and not only the shards the news give us?

I haven’t seen anything about the country on the British news since December at least. The only mention I can remember was someone from the UN saying that Ukraine helped feed many poor countries and now that it is at war it can’t so he has to decide if the children of Afghanistan or those in Ukraine have to die because there is not enough food. But I saw it on DW not the BBC. And that was maybe two weeks ago.

This Vice News video gives you a little insight in how life in Afghanistan looks like today:

(Please follow the link underneath the video if it doesn’t play here on the blog. The link leads to its YouTube location)

I think at least 90% of the population in Afghanistan live under the poverty line. Women’s rights are being destroyed. A very cruel interpretation of Sharia law is being implemented. And those who supposedly freed the country 20 years ago say blatantly: “oh, it was a success because we brought education to girls while we were there!”

Really? So Afghan women were allowed to taste freedom just to have it taken away from them within days and now can only live with the memory of their dreams? How cruel is that? How do the countries that supposedly support democracy and human rights defend these in Afghanistan now? I do not get it. And then western countries wonder why there is anti-western sentiment growing?

Of course, I assume here, that it was obvious that the democratic leaders would flee as soon as western forces left Afghanistan. Maybe I am naive to think that I know more about the political and social dynamics in Afghanistan than the advisors of presidents and prime ministers.

But even if my assumptions are wrong and no one could have foreseen the dramatic breakdown of the democratic government in Afghanistan why do we not go back in to safe democracy and human rights something that is supposedly so important to our western countries identities?

I have no answer to that. Well, I have a couple of very sarcastic theories which I do not want to air here. But isn’t it time that we question the idiosyncrasies that the leaderships of our countries show and try to figure out what’s really going on?

I know this sounds like conspiracy theories and maybe I am falling for those. But I simply do not understand the reasons given for getting out of Afghanistan and letting the country and its people fall into utter chaos.

I have so many questions and so little answers. And I feel reality as we knew it falling apart. I feel despair. I feel hunger for justice. I feel grief. So, so much grief for all the dreams our societies believe about themselves but which are simply not true. I feel this world is so wrong and I try to find what exactly this ” wrong” is. I feel lost.

Maybe the only way out is to fully experience this grief. To scream it out. To howl it out. To make the whole world hear the pain we are causing. Because that is what we do. Some intentionally and others unintentionally.

Further Reading:

UN report on Afghanistan

ICRC on Afghanistan

Please stay safe, stay kind and remember to look behind the smoke screens