Photograph by Sebastiao Salgado
Refugees.
We could be one of them.
It only takes a second to change a life forever. Whether it is because of a handshake or a signed document, these moments have power.
Life is a series of events. Every action or incidence effects the next. Look at the photograph above. What brought these people to have to endure such hardships?
This path is worn. It has been traveled before. Many times, perhaps. Fallen loved ones off to the side. No proper means for burial and ceremonies.
These people suffer for a hope of a better tomorrow. The path is long and painful. The path is worth it. Otherwise, it would be easy to give up.
Sebastiao Salgado's photography allows us to see a glimpse of these people's lives for what they really are. Photography, as another form of art, provides for so much emotion- so much interpretation.
Interpret for yourself these people's lives. Find what they mean to you. Know of them. Think of the why.
Before now I knew nothing of these refugees. Let's create quite the experience out of this and learn together.
Salgado, Sebastiao. Photograph. Migrations: Humanity in Transition. Aperture Foundations, Inc. New York. 2000. 89.
I really like how you pose questions to make us think harder about the topic at hand. You asked what caused these people to have to endure such hardships. The answer is probably nothing. That is the saddest part of it all. They do not deserve this fate, and they are doing everything they can to change it in order to have a brighter future. Still, many of them do not reach their final destination. After reading your post and participating in this project, I realize how blessed we are to be living in this free nation. I think sometimes we take what we have here for granted and do not recognize how privileged we are- that so many other people around the world wish they could live the way we do. These refugees are no better nor worse than us- we are equal to them in God’s eyes, and that is very humbling.
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