General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsViva la France
A couple of years ago, a foreign exchange student from France lived with my family. She remains in contact with us -- the miracle of the internet! -- and plans to visit us in the late spring/ early summer. Shes a wonderful young lady, a talented artist, and Ive been thinking about her a lot in the past couple of days.
Its strange for me to have one of my daughters living in a war zone. It is, sadly, a rather common feature in the human experience. Im not particularly bright, but I do understand the role of colonial France in causing suffering among human beings. And I understand that the relatively limited amount of violence in France in the past 72 hours
Instead, Im thinking of a human being
.in this case, a young lady who brings a smile to my face when she calls me Dad, and who was absolutely a sibling to my other four children. I think about how she and I talked about American culture -- warts and all -- and how she would accompany me to public government hearings, where I advocated for a clean environment.
I compare that to these young adults from the Muslim world who have been convinced by some older adult -- my age -- that they have a duty to maim and kill other human beings, with a promised reward in the afterlife. Odd how these old men skipped their opportunities to blow themselves up (much like George W. Bush and Dick Cheney sat out the war in Vietnam).
In recent times, it seems as if the dark forces of hatred is sending its unholy warriors out against humanity not in single spies, but in battalions, to quote Shakespeare. It is essential that we respond, by way of a peace movement.
Peace,
H2O Man
Octafish
(55,745 posts)There is no school equal to a decent home and no teacher equal to a virtuous parent. -- Mahatma Gandhi
Peace! And Peace to you, H2O Man!
LordGlenconner
(1,348 posts)Purely as a tourist. I saw the usual stuff. The Louvre, Eiffel Tower, and Sainte- Chapelle, among other attractions. I enjoyed all of them thoroughly but maybe my favorite part of the trip was the time we spent on the Metro. It seems crazy I know, enjoying something that regular Parisians find mundane. But it was a great glimpse into their lives and it made me feel less like a tourist and more like a Parisian. We also stayed in an apartment that we rented rather than a hotel which further added to my enjoyment. Even shopping in their version of supermarkets was extremely interesting to me.
But before I went I was told I would probably hate it. That the people were rude and the city was dirty. The city was a little dirty and some people were a little rude (but no more so than any hurried big city), but I absolutely fell in love with the place and wouldn't hesitate to return.
I'm a big believer is travel as as political act (to borrow a phrase from Rick Steves) and to me going to Paris was a worthwhile and rewarding experience. I blended in and went with the flow and was richly rewarded for it.
I look forward to seeing the rest of the country someday.
So yes, Viva la France!