February 15, 2006

Post-Valentine - Not Everything is about Love

So much going on in the world.

Muhammad cartoon riots, racism, relgionism, anti-semitism.
Nepal's civil unrest
Haiti elections
China's internet regulations (sparked by ethics debate regarding Google)
Iran's nuclear buildup (potential)
Saddam's hunger strike
Sexism in MANY many countries
The fight on Terrorism
Stamping out basic rights, in the name of terrorism.


I've been researching some countries in which I may be visiting in Spring/Summer. Some places are so unsafe that there are travel advisories warning of kidnaps, rape, armed robbery etc.. They warn of rebel groups taking over "territories". Not all of the countries that I want to visit have such warnings, but these types of warnings are a wake-up call to me. There's a lot in the news that we don't hear about. There are many countries in disarray that we don't hear about.

In Canada, we enjoy living in a country that is safe and secure, where our rights and freedoms are taken for granted. There are no rebel groups, and our corrupt governments are "safer" than other corrupt governments. There are no private armies, and our laws are respected.

Reading about some of these countries strengthens my resolve to try and help in one manner or another. The question is, how much personal risk am I willing to take?

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