I’m Tired of Debating

I recently received this reflection from a former student, Nina Lotfi, who studied with me in the spring of 2003 at Saint Louis University. Having grown up in Iran, Nina knew what war was like and she often reminded the class–then debating the the U.S. invasion of Iraq–of the human consequences. My friend Layla once said that Nina’s face just gives off light. I wish you could meet her. Here’s her piece:

I’m Tired of Debating
Nina Lotfi

For a moment close your eyes and think of an event…happy or sad. An event that shaped who you are today…An event that was so powerful that it was forever frozen in your memory…Think of the psychological power this event had on you…did it influence your personality….your view of the world, your cynicism or optimism?

Consider the personalities of your parents and why they are who they are…..and how they have influence you to be or not to be….

These events…whether they are seconds or years of our life can either brighten or taint our experience in this life. They don’t just shape who you are, but through you it may impact the lives of your friends, your children, your children’s’ children and so on…..

Now imagine living through a war – on either side. Can you imagine the emotional or physical damage to people? I bring this up because I feel, I, along with the rest of the US have focused entirely too much on should we have gone to the war…should we leave now…or should we add 20,000 more men?

We are all curious to know where others stood before the war and where they stand today. But we should not make the mistake of making this about us and our opinions. Instead maybe we should focus on something bigger than the actual decision to go to war or the decision to leave Iraq…the morality of it all.

Doesn’t it seem trivial to debate a decision, when the social consequences of the war have already occurred? Whether we stay a bit longer or leave tomorrow, the damage is done.

Is it enough to take accountability and accept that we made a mistake in going to war and that we need to re-strategize? In the business world, we preach that accepting accountability is also accepting responsibility. To accept mistakes or faults means that we are also willing to take ownership…to come up with an action plan and how to fix it.

What about the US soldiers who will return with post traumatic stress disorder….after the war is long forgotten will they still get support and treatment if needed?

What about the soldiers who saw the horrors of war …. the eyes of the innocents dying……the injustice in the world …the discrepancy between our nation’s lifestyle and those in a developing nation….will they be able to forget all of that and go back to watching Deal or no Deal…spending Sundays watching football?

What about the psychological impact of violence to the general population…How will the daily exposure of violence and death shape the futures of Iraqi children?

What about the increasing number of orphans, who will care for them? Who will be their voice?

What about the limited numbers of psychiatrists in Iraq to help the people overcome their grief, their losses….to gain their sanity….

But the battle in Iraq only starts with discontinuation of violence…what about all that remains after the violence? Is a humanitarian need such as this the responsibility of a nation, those within geographical approximately, or even those that are likeminded?

Perhaps the problem is not that we went to war in Iraq…but that all around the world we are unsympathetic to suffering…..we debate and discus because it’s our citizens dying, our politicians who mislead us, or our tax dollars being wasted….but not because of the social consequences.

Take a look around…open up any world news source and you will see Iraq is not alone. What about …

• The fact that globally, there are twice as many conflict-induced internally displaced persons (IDPs) as refugees (13 million in Africa alone)
• The fact that in 2001, bottom 50 percent of the world’s adult population owned barely 1 percent of the world’s wealth; while the richest 10 percent of adults accounted for 85 percent of assets.
• The millions of people (majority children) living in temporary camps in Afghanistan?
• AIDS in Africa?
• The situation in Darfur?
• The two-thirds of Palestinians in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip who are now living in poverty.
• The conflict between Somalia and Ethiopia

I’m no different than the next guy….I do not flip the channel when I see a news piece on the suffering of the world no matter how my day ends….I am aware of what’s going on around the world, but am I any different than the person who is unaware? Either way criticism should be given when it’s due. At the end I also did nothing….I too watched from miles away as another genocide was recorded in history…