First steps are always the hardest

Beginnings it seems are always hard. There is a bit of fear getting ideas, dreams, thoughts, feelings put into words and outside the safe confines of my mind. It seems once they flow from my heart and mind through my fingers and onto the page, they wield more power to change me. They seem to demand to be heeded and I can not so easily "forget" or ignore. And so I take a deep breathe, close my eyes and dare to begin.

I watched a Frontline special last night with Sandeep, my husband. In it a daring Muslim woman from Pakistan chronicalled about the growing civil war in Pakistan between the Taliban, and the US backed Pakistani army. What unnerved me was the use of children...5, 8, 10 year old children who are recruited and used as sucide bombers. I remember the words of Martin Luther King, JR as I watched.."Violence only will beget more violence." It seemed never before were these words more clearly proven than in the interviews of the refugees, the poor young men sent to the radical Islamic schools where they memorize the Koran and are taught to hate, taught to fight.

I asked myself perhaps the all important question, "WHY?" Why do they hate us so? What would prompt a person to committ sucide and have their last and final act in this world be to kill as many innocent people possible, The only answer I could come up with was POVERTY. Oh yes, there is the issue of brain washing, of following one's conscience...Of making this a "God on our side" rigteous fight.

I am dozing off...it's late. I will sign off for now. stay tuned...more thoughts will come