We have all heard the phrase, ‘Nothing to fear but fear itself.’ Do you believe that is true? What if it is not? I know there are some situations where there really is nothing to fear, but personal anxiety. Panic builds fear and compromises faith, but quite often, cannot be helped. I’m talking about real fear. Fear of bodily harm. Fear of arrest. Fear of torture. Fear of death. Fear of consequences from the acts of others.
There is a lot of unrest in the world. Wars. Police actions. Political assassinations and attempts. Unjust governments. The rich preying on the poor. Educational inequality. Prejudice and the promotions of different groups claiming their race, culture, or employee’s lives matter. People…look around. All lives matter. No matter what culture or race we were born into, we are all the same inside. In our hearts. In our wants and needs. We might go about things differently, but our goals are the same.
We all need shelter, food, clean water, basic necessities. We love our families, our friends and neighbors. We want a good education for our children so that they can get good jobs and support their eventual families. We might speak a different language, wear clothes according to our cultures, eat different foods, and move about in our lives without constant fear. But for some, this right has been taken away. Suddenly and unexpectedly. I will try to explain with my limited knowledge.
Most people who know me, know that I have been working with the people of Bangladesh for close to five years now. How that came to be is another story, but let me say this. The people in this country are very peaceful and loving. I have made some very close friends there. The people are dedicated to education so that they may find jobs and raise families. The children study hard and the parents sacrifice to educate their children. Clothe their children and feed their children. Just like we do here. But here is the difference. They are doing it in a third world country.
Most can only afford maybe two meals per day; rice, and what they can find that is affordable at the open markets. Prices have doubled just like in our country, so meat is scarce. It's ore of a luxury. But they are proud of what they have and will share with anyone who has a need. Most that I know would give the shirts off their backs to help a stranger.
Jobs are scarce, even for those with a degree. Many are forced to leave the country to find work for two dollars an hour which is much more than they would get in Bangladesh. This is sad because it is my understanding that the government is wealthy. But the people accept it as their normality. But recently, in this peaceful country, everything changed.
The people are afraid, and rightly so. Because of a change, made by the government, to restrict the job market of their people. I don’t have enough knowledge to explain it, but jobs would be based on nepotism, not on education, skills, or abilities. The students at many universities began to protest. This was met with violence from police and the military. Many students were killed and injured for standing up for what they believed. Then the government decided to put the country in a state of ‘blackout.’ All forms of communication were shut down. No internet. No phone service. No WiFi. All ways of contact were shut down, even transportation.
Fear is real, folks. Families with students in universities had no way of knowing if their children were dead or alive. Even though the government overturned their ruling and decided to hire people based on merit instead of nepotism, the violence continues. Vigilante groups have continued to loot businesses and destroy Metro stations. A curfew was put in place after the sun goes down. People are being arrested and phones confiscated for no apparent reason. Many say this is not personal. It’s personal to those living in this situation and it is personal to me.
I have become very close with some people in this country. Very close friends, and some I have come to think of as extended family. My family is being terrorized and I am afraid for their lives. Mid-night raids are happening now. Homes are being violated in the middle of the night and phones searched. People beaten and threatened. This is real fear. And it is unacceptable.
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