Posted by
Corthell on Monday, December 21, 2009 9:10:57 AM
''It is great to wish for peace this Christmas in places like Southern Sudan, but we should keep in mind that peace does not come as a result of a wish and a prayer. Peace comes from hard work and effort. Just like in interpersonal and family relationships, peace between countries takes time, vigilance and skill.''
This Christmas is filled with songs and hymns about peace on Earth. Regardless of your individual belief system, is it is a time to recognize people you care about, give money to charities that you believe in and help out strangers. That is the spirit of the season. There are, however, people we don't see and places we do not go where conflict, hunger and suffering are commonplace. We can easily put this pain out of mind as we compartmentalize our lives. It may be the only way to enjoy the holidays with our loved ones.
I was in Southern Sudan less than eight weeks ago and saw the daily pain and suffering of former slaves and people who eat only every other day. It is hard to block people out of your mind when you have interacted with them. Southern Sudan, as I have written before, had a 22-year civil war with Northern Sudan. Southern Sudan is primarily Christian, and Northern Sudan is Arab Muslim. The tragedy is that due to oil reserves and a vote on independence scheduled to take place in 2011, Southern Sudan is again on the brink of war.
Fortunately, there are thoughtful people with real ideas about achieving peace in far-flung places like Southern Sudan. I encountered one of these great thinkers this week. Dr. David Hamburg is the recipient of the presidential Medal of Freedom and the author of "Preventing Genocide: Practical Steps Toward Early Detection and Effective Action." http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=119610