Found these words on Dante's facebook page
لم يعد لدينا ما نقوله للحياة
"We no longer have what we say for life"
It feels as if he is saying he has no control over destiny anymore. This I see in the layers upon layers of grief in the counselling sessions with my Syrian refugee... There is the sense of loss of planning for his future. Before the war he could map out what he wanted to do, go to university and plot a career for himself. Now this is lost in the chaos and the mayhem of the war and fleeing to safety in another country. That takes a lot of doing to relocate and try to throw some roots down in a new land... but then how can you throw roots down if it is possibly a transient place to be... Though the time now shows that many are having to make some form of life in the place they have found themselves in now. With this is learning a new language and culture. The now is becoming a platform to try and build a future from. But that future is difficult to see and build for.
In some ways the global family is feeling this too - with all the uncertainty of changes going on in the political landscapes. There has when you think been always some form of turmoil of sorts but yet a pathway of some predictability and walkway to some dream or aspiration. But now this landscape is difficult to navigate... and more so for the refugees who feel as if their life is on hold... With this the sense of being under a wider control of the host countries that see them as refugees not the people they are. People with a lot of talents, skills and expertise, many graduates or were about to graduate.
We do have some shinning stars in the world like Justin Trudeau that as Leader of Canada, is encompassing the refugees into the wider community and they have become part of the community. Here in the UK where there have been sanctuary cities and open doors in among all the negative press. There are universities offering free supported courses to help rebuild lives and get them back on track with dreams and aspirations.
We all need to feel we have a say in our lives and more so for the refugees that have had their lives turned upside now. Time to help rebuild lives and put some sense back into their lives... and the world too...