Paul Rusesabagina – RESPECT!

November 2013 I attended the “Human rights days” in Kulturhuset in Stockholm.

I went to this one seminar hosting the man Paul Rusesabagina. Here’s a picture..

For those of you who don’t know, he was the actual man that saved more than 1200 peoples lives by taking them into his hotel during the genocide of Rwanda in the 90’s. The man portrayed in the movie Hotel Rwanda. He was attending the conference and you can all see the interview here. 

That was in 2013… I watched the man, listened to the interview, but at that time, I knew nothing more about the story really.

Tonight, 2 years later, I am sitting on my couch on a Sunday night watching this movie and I am telling you, I really honesty wish I had paid him more respect on that day two years ago.

There was nothing that could have prepared me for this movie. No speech, no preaching, no nothing. Because nothing can prepare you for watching this kind of cruelty, where a whole group of people are being wiped out from the face of the earth, for the simple reason of being born into a certain category at a certain time. By other humans on a cruel, incomprehensible mission of extinction.

There are too many stories in our history books touching this subject. Too many horrifying numbers of people being slaughtered for unspeakable reasons. As if there is not enough people dying in the world already for other reasons. Too many inhuman, heartless, cold blooded actions to be counted, and accounted for.

There is simply too much of this!

So watching this incredible movie, I wept. And wept. And wept.

Because this movie is not only touching the subject of Rwanda and how the west abandoned an African country desperately in need. It is an ongoing story today.. The targets are constantly changing, but the history is being repeated over and over again. Like a never ending story.

I see it in the eyes of the young adults I meet at work. I see it in the stories of the refugees I meet in my church. I see it in the people of the streets of my safe country.

Some of my friends walked for weeks, barefoot, across cities, countries, in the dark night, without any lead. Some crossed the sea in tiny boats loaded with hundreds of people. Some lost their whole family. Almost everybody lost everything.

Why?

Because of cold blood, hatred and to be honest, politics, power and money. These are the roots of all evil.

There is no end to the love and compassion I feel for these people. My friends. My fellow humans. My brothers and sisters. No end of my admiration for their bravery and struggle.

Yet, I stand on the other side. Privileged. Watching. Weeping.

This movie touched me. Hotel Rwanda, a movie about a brave mans action during  genocide in the past, stirring up all my emotions concerning current ongoing conflicts.

Hotel Rwanda.

An important movie which will not leave you untouched.

And Paul Rusesabagina.

To you.. all my R-E-S-P-E-C-T and blessings.

You are an extraordinary man!

 

They came across the sea..

This week I have been blessed with some wonderful moments of sharing with some of the youth I met at my daily work. What we have we share, love and life stories.

Stories of how these particular youngsters ended up in Sweden. Their way. Their sacrifice. Their loss. Their sorrows. Their gratefulness and their fears.

What I see..is their strength.

Young boys (the majority are boys) who already lived a life time of a hundred years, experienced more pain, separation and heartbreak than most of us ever will.

Boys who have seen their cities, houses, childhood memories being torn apart, shattered, destroyed in front of their eyes.

Incredible, wonderful boys who have already felt too much hurt in separation and partings from family, friends and loved ones.

Young boys who are no longer boys, but have become men, with a lost childhood.

  
These boys came with the boats. The same kind of boat that goes down in the mediterranian sea. Thousands of people lost on the waves. These boats contains boys that could have been at my work today. At school. In my life.

Lost boys who disappeared.

Lost boys looking for life.

I am so blessed!

Because I am safe. Because i am born in the “right” country. Because I haven’t yet lived through these kinds of situations as these boys.

But mostly I am blessed because I every day get the chance to meet these young men. These young, beautiful, strong, sensitive men, who did not deserve this.

Our meetings are filled with sharing of life stories, affection, guidance on their journey into this new, different society and humbleness towards life.

I am learning so much. Loving so much.

I am blessed because I get the opportunity to love them.

These boys came across the sea.

They took the road of death, to find freedom, opportunity, a future. They lived.

The ones who died are now in my prayers. Lord have mercy on their souls.

  

These boys came across the sea…

..and today, they are all part of me!

Och när jag kom hem så grät jag..

Jag grät för såren.

Ingen har rätt att behandla en annan människa på det sättet. Ändå så har det hänt, en av de mest oskyldiga. En som jag älskar.

Jag grät för känslan.

Känslan att vilja ta någon annans plats. Vilja lägga över smärtan på sig själv så den älskade kan bli fri. Smärtfri.

Jag grät för ondskan.

Vissa stunder tror jag att det inte längre går att bli förvånad över människors otroliga ondska,  Det går det. Ondskan slutar aldrig överraska.

Jag grät för orättvisan.

Orättvisan i att så många kommer undan, trots att de sårat någon annan så djupt att det blir ärr i själen. Ärr i hjärtat.

När jag kom hem så grät jag. Lät allt det onda komma ut. Skickas tillbaka ut i intet.

..Så jag kan fortsätta vara stark för den älskade.

“Det enda som behövs för att ondskan ska segra,

är att goda människor inte gör nånting”

Edmund Burke