Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Notes from the couch.......

I have just ordered some books from Amazon. I LOVE ordering books from Amazon. However, I am not good at waiting for them to arrive. But I will have reading material to keep me busy and may well order a few more. Thanks to a delightful son , who gave me an Amazon gift voucher for my birthday. Thank you, Andrew and Ann! And thank you for your suggestions, girls. I will let you know how I get on.

Life on the couch is really scintillating. So exciting that I have managed to fall asleep both afternoons, and miss vital sets of tennis. I usually wake when one of my friends barrels through the front door. Friends who deliver my shopping and friends popping in to see how good I am being about doing nothing. Nice helpful friends.

However, I am at the stage again where I can see what needs doing around here, and so that is when I close my eyes (to block out the view of the dust) and then I fall asleep.

So if you are looking for excitement, this may not be the best place to be today.

However, there is something really serious on my mind.

I had an email from a friend this morning, with a letter from a friend of hers in Harare, Zimbabwe. It has disturbed me so much that I am thinking of forwarding it to the Prime Minister. The only thing stopping me, is that maybe there will be repercussions for the lady who wrote it. It sickens me to the stomach. It is time for the world to say "ENOUGH". We will all have to live with the fact that we have done nothing for years, but wring our hands and say the words.

I am ashamed of myself. Of this country. Of the western world. Of the world at large.

I have done nothing to help stop the torture. The appalling violations of human rights. The misery. Africa is a long way away. So it is easy to shut out of my mind.

I have some thinking to do.

There has to be a way.

2 comments:

Crystal said...

I agree with you on the Zimbabwe issue. I too have been silent and that is wrong. Have I learned nothing from Rwanda and all that happened there? And then there is Sudan. We in the west are so, so cushioned from reality and so willing to 'mind our own business'. I am interested in hearing more of your thoughts about action and involvement.

Janine said...

It's pretty frightening sitting here in South Africa and watching what's happening in Zim, even more so because our President is keeping his mouth firmly shut. Yesterday Tutu called Mugabe a "Frankenstein" figure. There are refugees all over the place here too. All very worrying when we live in a black country too.