I watched Hotel Rwanda last night, and whoa, I had no idea. I remember when all of that crap was going on over there, but I really didn’t understand what was happening. There is one point in the movie where Paul, the manager of the hotel that acts as a refuge for over a thousand people, is talking with a reporter, and tells him that if people can just see what is happening, then they will do something. Then, the reporter responds with the chilling fact, that people will simply watch the horror, and then go back to their dinners. This really describes not only what actually happened, but the understanding even I had about what happened in Rwanda.
The worst part? This type of stuff is still going on in other parts of the world in places like Darfur, and there isn’t much that anyone is doing. This just makes me sad.
Seeing movies like this really makes one feel lucky. Lucky to be alive, and lucky to have all that we have. I can’t even imagine something like that happening here. All most of us do in a day, is think about where we want to go to lunch, what we want to buy this weekend, and worry about trivial stuff (for the most part); all while there are people that are sincerely worried that they will not make it until tomorrow. Basically, no matter how bad things may seem, you see things like this, and you learn that it can be so much worse. This movie is a scary look at how cruel and evil people can truly be.
So that is where I am at today. I can’t think about anything other than this movie, and the actual events that it was based on. Over a million people died in that conflict. Man, it makes you feel great that I am able to worry about allergies, long commutes, and bills.
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