Safe Passage

When I was twenty-two, I sat on an airplane and had a sudden realization: I can go anywhere! I can drive in highways, I can take subways, and I can save up to afford plane tickets. The world is out there and I can explore it.

This was a huge revelation for the girl who was afraid to call and order her own pizza.

When I was twenty-three, I was still filled with awe at my ability to travel, but I had another revelation: my need for home is so strong that I prefer to travel for short visits, rather than long ones.  My mom once made a cross-stitch that said "Visits are are always pleasant, if not in he coming, then in the going."  I love being able to come and go as I please.

This year, it struck me how lucky I am to have this kind of mobility.  First of all, I have the financial ease of transport. I am not rich, but I am comfortable enough to have some spending money and a frequent flyer credit card. So many people around the world don't have this freedom.  My mom even tells me about times in her childhood when her mother went without a meal so that the kids could eat.  Some families are lucky when they get one meal a day. Here I am, able to explore the world. I cannot turn a blind eye to my luck or to others' struggles.

It's much more than money, though. Gender is a big roadblock for many people. When I was in Romania back in 2003, it astonished me how few females there were walking alone in Herestrau Park in the middle of a lovely Sunday afternoon. In fact, I was the only one I was aware of besides the beggar lady crying by the birdbath.  In some countries, women need their husband's written permission to travel. In others, it is just plain unsafe. I don't delude myself to think that the U.S. is free of crime. However, I am more likely to think about where I am going than ponder whether or not I will get there. 

Today's world is faced with an immense challenge: the refugee crisis. I was outraged when the media portrayed it as a "migrant crisis". This is not a matter of nomads seeking better pastures for cattle to graze. This is a matter of life or death for many families in war-torn countries. I am equally outraged by folks who claim that "they should follow the rules."  Are the rules fair in their  homeland when children fear for their lives and violence all too often is the answer?  Are rules fair when other countries will offer asylum...but only to people with the right skin tone or faith?  Need we follow the rules when they mean a certain death? And what about the families who followed the rules, paid the money, secured the visa, and got lost in the transportation shuffle?

Except in numbers and names, this is not very different from the time before WWII when Jewish people were free to leave Germany but so many had nowhere to go.  What have we learned as a society? What are we doing better now?

When I was in Germany this summer, I saw communities preparing for the refugees.  Empty buildings were being retrofitted for people who would be moving there. It seemed the people of Ettlingen were concerned with doing the right thing more than they were concerned with fears for what this change might bring. "We'll deal with that later..." was the perception I got from everyone I spoke to.  "They need our safety now."

My colleagues in Croatia and Hungary talk about trying their best to supply food, water, blankets, and medicine to those in need. The media, however, fill us with stories of detention centers and trains turned away. We see pictures of dead children and impassable tunnels.  

Yes, there are extremists in all cultures, including the countries of many of these refugees. Yes, extremism is scary...terrifying, even. Yes, there are no perfect answers in this beautiful but wounded world.  However, the death toll rises and the Mediterranean Sea becomes filled with corpses and tears.

When I travel, it is to visit friends, to learn languages, and to explore the world. I make music as I travel and foster connections to help my students. I don't need to travel, but I can go just about anywhere.

I wish a safe passage to those who must travel but who are met with roadblocks.