Can we please change

I have listened, during the course of today, to a variety of programmes, and items, related to refugees, and more specifically to child refugees in camps in France.

Whilst each interview, each story, each unbelievable struggle breaks the heart, yet again, the world still turns, and a huge swathe of humanity becomes dust.

There are too many tales of fear, sadness, bravery, damage, danger, exploitation and shame to make it easy to get a grip on what is important, or most important, or viable, or worth attempting.

And yet, and yet. There are people who put the safety and comfort of displaced souls ahead of their own security. Who, every minute of every day, work tirelessly to make a small dent in the endless wall of despair and despondency. And they are heroes, and angels, and they carry on.

What they are not are those in power. The rulers, the ministers, the presidents – they are quick to criticise and sympathise in more or less equal measure. They make statements offering support, and prevaricate over the provision. They condemn the causes and causers of the refugee crisis, and support and exascerbate the conflict. And do not ackowledge their responsibility, and do not accept their involvement in the instigation.

I am not stupid, and I realise that this is complex, and complicated, and the reasons and reasoning are contorted and distorted by old animosities, religious divergence, misguided geographic allocations.  I know there is no simple answer, and that, along with the arrogance and pride there is also fear and lack of trust. And there is also always self-interest.

But it is simple, in the end. Because, for better or worse we are all stuck on this planet together for the foreseeable future. So we must find a solution. And that doesn’t mean that we have to like everyone, or anyone. But, at some stage we have to learn that every time we hurt someone else, we hurt ourselves too. There is no injury-neutral scenario.

And nor can we close doors, or borders, and think it will all go away, because it won’t.

But please, please, please can we look for another way. Too many tears have already been spilled, and many of them are mine. I want to stop crying over everything but joy.