Once in class I saw a terrible scar on the arm of one of my students. In my surprise I said "what happened? Is that a shark bite?" (You may remember that I teach wounded soldiers as part of my job.) The student said in the simplest of terms and without anger, that out in the field a friend was cleaning his gun and it accidentally went off and hit him. It was an accident."I see this frequently among my Colombian students; they have stories of hurt and trauma, but when pressed one of them said "why should I bring this out of the jungle?"
I am impressed at the mindset that allows them to get on with their lives, marry and have children, and continue in their education.
In the last few days there have been angry emails among members of my parent's family; something to the effect "I'm not interested in seeing any of you again."
The offense was real, but it was a long time ago and has been compounded by bad choices later in life as well.
I have been meditating on this, and have the luxury of a clean conscience; in part because I've been out of the country for so long. I grieve for my parents. Not one of my siblings can comprehend the terrible strain, and sustained effort it requires to raise a large family on your own, to aspire to their education, and hope for better things with limited resources. I have a better idea than most, but I understand that the sacrifice on their part is orders of magnitude greater than mine.
I thank God that I have lived in Latin America, where we enjoy the day, love the sunshine and time with our families. I have learned there are things we should not bring out of the jungle.
