A Womans Blog

Pacifism. What is it? What does it really, truly mean to be a pacifist? Is it holding a sign declaring opposition to war – to violent acts against other humans? Is it a passive resignation to not participate in the military, to never use a weapon for destruction? Or, is this a narrow definition?
As I sit in front of my keyboard, my heart is heavy. I am stirred. I have learned, for the first time, of a woman - fierce, undeterred, relentless – who is spreading peace and optimism in a country torn by war, raped by terrorists and drained of hope.
Suraya Sadeed is a rebel. Ms. Sadeed, native of Afghanistan, has lived in America for over 20 years, yet she has not forgotten, nor is she blind to, the cause of the Afghan people.

 In the face of the Taliban, she secretly educated girls in Afghanistan. Risking her life, she smuggled money, food and supplies to the poor of her homeland. She posed as a pregnant woman, strapping the valuable contraband to her stomach, hoping to make it past the Taliban guards, hoping to get supplies to the Afghan children. For in Afghanistan, it is not uncommon for children to go blind from lack of proper nutrition. It is not uncommon for them to freeze to death in the cold.

Suraya Sadeed started Help The Afghan Children (HTAC), a non-profit, non-partisan, charitable organization, after witnessing the plight of children throughout the country. As Afghanistan focuses on rebuilding, HTAC’s primary goal is in educating the children, with the mandate of establishing high quality schools throughout the country. HTAC is introducing new pilot-programs into the curriculum, such as peace education, computer literacy, basic health, teacher training and environmental awareness.

With one statement, Ms. Sadeed affected my world. While being interviewed on the Oprah Winfrey Show, she spoke of the effect education is having on young people across Afghanistan.

 “We are taking children who once had guns and are giving them books and pens, ultimately giving them a hope for peace.” (paraphrase mine)

Suddenly, I was no longer seeing Afghan children, but millions of children across America. Children whose lives are torn apart by violence, gang wars, drugs and poverty. Children who think the best they will ever have is Section 8 housing and food stamps. Children who think mommy’s needles in the drawer are ‘normal’ and yet new school clothes and supplies to start the year are a luxury they live without.

My heart aches. I hear of young people – 12, 14, 16 years of age, killing each other and I wonder where these people have been failed. Is it because their home life is in shambles? Or, is it because society often overlooks the poor, believing them to be hopeless and unreachable? At this age, the reasoning part of the brain isn’t even fully developed. They haven’t even finished growing. Their toys should be dolls, trucks, basketballs and CD players, not guns and knives. I believe Ms. Sadeed truly understands where the seeds of peace should be planted – in the hearts and minds of children through quality education.

Is this a criticism of our teachers? No. Many of them do the best they can with what they with what they have. Do I have all the solutions? No. But I am stirred and I do want to make a difference. It’s a shame on our government and our national values that teachers make such low wages. We spend billions on a war to put a dictator out of business in the name of ‘peace’, but we can’t afford to pay teachers an acceptable wage or provide supplies for the classroom so they don’t have to buy their own. We spend billions to pay for no-bid Halliburton contracts to re-build a country that never asked for our help, yet we cut music and art from a child’s education. It’s a shame that in an economy where a college diploma is necessary to get a decent job, many cannot afford to do so. For those who pursue it anyway, comes the hefty student loan that, despite low interest rates, consumes a good chunk of their post-college monthly budget.

So what does pacifism have to do with education?

If we want to build a better future, a better economy and a more peaceful world, we have to focus on our children. They are the hope for our future. When they graduate, they need to know how government works. They will elect our leaders; they will lead us in decisions of ‘to war or not to war’. They will determine our foreign policies and our economic strategies.

We need to insure that not only can they pass standardized, ‘No Child Left Behind’ tests, but that they also have an understanding of geography, culture, sociology and science. We need to insure their ability to communicate effectively and diplomatically. It is they who will be developing our technologies, pioneering our medical breakthroughs, leading our military and creating our modern works of art.

We need to inspire children. We need to show them the limitless possibilities within themselves. They need to know that a scholarship to Harvard, NYU or even the local community college can be a ticket to a better life. We need to show them how an education can open doors to their future. They need to know their brain, not their gender, race or some other category, can be the ticket to a better life. They need to know they have power to do good or to do evil and they need to be instructed with the knowledge and wisdom to make the best choice. It is in planting those seeds that we plant the seeds of freedom and peace, not only our children, but for generations to come.
 

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