Life's unfair

My daughter, Freia is planning a holiday to the US. And recently went for her visa. She was fortunate, she got it. On the way back from the embassy, she told me about a friend of her's - Osama. He along with his brother Osaid had gone sometime last year for their visa. They were 13 and 9. Their parents, both of whom already had US Visas wanted to take them there for a holiday.

It goes without saying that if you can afford it, the US is the place where one can have a great time. Truly one of the most wonderful countries. Almost as good as India. :-)

And here's the twist in the tale. Their visa was refused. No one knows why. But going by the age of these 2 young boys, it's reasonable to assume that their names may have played a part. My daughter was Osama's lawyer in a class "court session" on the issue. And I think her closing line said it all
"The name Osama means Lion, not terrorist".

My daughter and I then had a discussion on where the issue was. We agreed that it was a kind of a Catch 22 situation. Countries that felt threatened by a certain group of people were likely to look at them with suspicion. And because of that suspicion, even nice people could get easily swayed by extremist propaganda, especially since they have experienced what they consider unfair.

I guess we do not have enough knowledge on the subject to suggest solutions. What we can do is educate our children not to take extremist positions. To evaluate facts and not get swayed by emotional rhetoric. To listen to facts objectively and to make wise choices for themselves, and when they are in a position for their communities and country. If we are able to inculcate good values, I guess we'll have good and sensible world citizens.

And world peace not a myth, but a possibility.


p.s.: April 2010
Subsequent to my posting this blog, my daughter spoke about it with her friends. And an interesting thing happened. It turned out that all of the above was the result of a series of embellishments at various stages by the kids involved, including Freia. My apologies to the US Immigration authorities for having said something not true.

But I guess this makes the point of the article even more relevant. Perception is not only greater than reality, it is reality. And unless we are careful and avoid labeling, peace will remain a myth.