"Only the dead have seen the end of war."
-Aristotle
For Sudanese people, that seems accurate. I can't see an end... there is no visible hope of peace in this country. It is a mind set that I have discovered here that causes conflict. The people seem to want to fight. Even many well educated civilians seem to support the fighting with comments such as "yes, we support Israel as long as they kill Arabs" and "Negro people will not develop into a modern people." This racism is taught. Children here are bred to hate. To hate those who are different and those who their parents hate. Here, anger is an acceptable emotion unlike I have seen in most places. The people see it to be shameful to not wash and pray five times a day but completely acceptable to "do to them what they did to me." Recently I lost my wallet and a man here told me I should announce it on the local radio station so that if someone found it they wouldn't be afraid to turn it in. "Why would they be afraid?" I asked and he replied "because maybe you will think they stole it from you and you will kill them or have them thrown into prison." I was confused and asked him "Why would I do that to someone who helped me by turning in my wallet that they found?" and he said "becasue maybe they will think you didn't know you lost it and you will become angry with a thief and thats what you should do when you become angry." I said, "No I would say 'thank you' and be grateful I got it back, even if the money that was in it was gone." and he said, "No, you can't do that." It is a mind set, and type of thinking that says if you have any reason to believe you were done wrong you now have to right to do others harm. In Sudan, conflict is a way of life, and war is not the opposite of but rather an acceptable alternative to peace.
-Aristotle
For Sudanese people, that seems accurate. I can't see an end... there is no visible hope of peace in this country. It is a mind set that I have discovered here that causes conflict. The people seem to want to fight. Even many well educated civilians seem to support the fighting with comments such as "yes, we support Israel as long as they kill Arabs" and "Negro people will not develop into a modern people." This racism is taught. Children here are bred to hate. To hate those who are different and those who their parents hate. Here, anger is an acceptable emotion unlike I have seen in most places. The people see it to be shameful to not wash and pray five times a day but completely acceptable to "do to them what they did to me." Recently I lost my wallet and a man here told me I should announce it on the local radio station so that if someone found it they wouldn't be afraid to turn it in. "Why would they be afraid?" I asked and he replied "because maybe you will think they stole it from you and you will kill them or have them thrown into prison." I was confused and asked him "Why would I do that to someone who helped me by turning in my wallet that they found?" and he said "becasue maybe they will think you didn't know you lost it and you will become angry with a thief and thats what you should do when you become angry." I said, "No I would say 'thank you' and be grateful I got it back, even if the money that was in it was gone." and he said, "No, you can't do that." It is a mind set, and type of thinking that says if you have any reason to believe you were done wrong you now have to right to do others harm. In Sudan, conflict is a way of life, and war is not the opposite of but rather an acceptable alternative to peace.
