11.02.03
The sweetest taboo
Sometimes when I look at the world, it makes me shiver out of fear. The way we treat each other, the way our ignorance and lack of caring speed our fall are alarming.
The problem with international law, in a nutshell, is the lack of enforcement. I watch the news and want to cry, where do you begin? I was talking to a friend of mine last night, about the UN, and I was trying to explain how impotent they are so much of the time. That the are so bound by law and diplomacy and politics, that they end up doing nothing more often than not. And she looked at me and said, "So what are you going to do about it, Kaitlyn?" As if it was my own responsibility to find a solution. And in a way it is, it's all of ours.
Another friend, another night, said she doesn't watch the news on purpose, she'd rather not know, she knows she closes her eyes, but claims it's how she deals with things that are too big for her to understand.
In many ways, I feel really lost. I have to start looking for a job for next year. The problem is I don't know where to start. I want to do everything. I want to stay in Canada, because national politics are what interest me the most, but I feel like I should try my hand at saving the world, internationally. Go to Rwanda, go to Sri Lanka, or Siberia, or anywhere and start from the bottom up. Help with my hands, not with written words on paper.
So where do I begin? How do I help? I feel trapped and lost, and like I'm standing on the edge of a deep ocean and want to go swimming, but I'm not really sure if the waves are too big or not. That maybe it's not safe enough, and I'll end up spit out, banged up, or end up drowning. But maybe any of those are better than standing here, then deciding to just walk away.
wunderwuman at