A Long Way Gone

When Dr. Kevin Cole reported the importance of "A Long Way Gone," by Ishmael Beah, I made a mental note to check out and read the book. That note, like most of my mental notes, promptly erased itself, though I still ran into the indentation the mental pencil must have made. Finally, as I was perusing the Washakie County Library bookshelves, a bright green spine caught my attention. Pulling it out, I immediately recognized the picture: a young boy, in shorts, T-shirt, and broken flip-flops, walking with his arms propped over the weapon on his shoulders, and a bayonet strapped to his back. His shoulder backpack was undoubtedly filled with ammunition.

The book is important, especially in this time of war. I was so horrified by Beah's descriptions of Sierra Leone's civil war in the 1990's, I kept reading to be done with it quickly. My imaginings of the bullets, fire, blood, mutilations--I was frightened I might dream about them, if I dwelt on them too long. Of course, I have never been close to any of these things. Perhaps if I ever am, I will say to myself, "Ah. That's what he was talking about."

Since I like to think of myself as a philosophical type, I remind myself that graphic images make people feel very strongly, because it is frightening. I might have even read the book so quickly because I was addicted to the thrill of violence. Then I thought of the war in Iraq, and changed my mind. The people in Iraq, and many other middle-eastern countries, do not read about death. People of rich nations read about death and sigh, protest, perhaps pray, and maybe change their lives. The people affected by war. . .that is another story.

I hate first that their is chaos in the Middle-east, or anywhere. I hate also that we are involved the way we are. There are US soldiers in the middle east. After reading Beah, I began to picture myself as a member of the army. I began to imagine the heat or coolness of weapons in my hands--the knowledge of how to use them in my head. A voice told me, "The war in the middle-east is nothing like Africa's civil wars--less violent and carefully targeted." Perhaps things are cleaner, more carefully planned, but the fighting, on both sides, or all sides rather, all of it destroys something whether it is lives, shelter, food, water, or air. If a weapon is set off in order to destroy, it will destroy something. That is what it is supposed to do.

Then there are those like Esther, Ishmael Beah's nurse, mentor, and friend during his rehabilitation. Those people know how to stop a war. Through care, honest caring care, Esther helped Ishmael find peace with himself and the crimes committed to and through him. She treated him humanely and patiently, trying to heal the physical pain, but mostly the psychological chaos. Unfortunately, not enough of us are like Esther.

Beah passed on the healing; he continued in his education, and meanwhile wrote a book about his experience, which makes readers aware of tragedy, but also hopeful for healing. I want to follow his lead, and make something good happen. I don't know how, when or where, but we'll see what comes to be.