I met a husband and wife who looked to be in their mid-60s. My guess is they were born in the late '50s early '60s at the latest.
The event was mixed company with light polite conversation. When I asked about their accent because I couldn't place it, they replied it was South African,. Before I could stop myself I blurted out that it's a shame what happened to that country and Rhodesia as well. The husband replied that it was indeed a shame and that he and his wife were chased out of South Africa in 1991 as refugees. He said thousands more are coming because they have no choice because the country was run by idiots. I suspect he didn't really mean idiots, but again, polite mixed company at a light social event event.
What spoke more to me, though, was his facial expression. Maybe I read into it too much but it read to me a very profound expression of lament and loss, and that he had much more to say but thought better of it at the moment. I thought to myself that he was old enough to remember the before time and the quick deterioration to what it is today. I can only imagine what it's like to never be able to go back to your home or your homeland because it was stolen from you, and to see it destroyed with no ability to stop it.
The wife nodded agreement to her husband's statements and her facial expression matched his. It was a brief encounter and we moved on to other people and other lite chatter, but it stuck with me.
I can't imagine what that was like, but more importantly I don't want to imagine. Nor do I want my children or grandchildren to ever experience it. My final thought as I write this is that it can also happen here. It won't always be someone else and somewhere else. I must never forget that, and must do what I can to prevent it.
End of my rant.
I met a husband and wife who looked to be in their mid-60s. My guess is they were born in the late '50s early '60s at the latest.
The event was mixed company with light polite conversation. When I asked about their accent because I couldn't place it, they replied it was South African,. Before I could stop myself I blurted out that it's a shame what happened to that country and Rhodesia as well. The husband replied that it was indeed a shame and that he and his wife were chased out of South Africa in 1991 as refugees. He said thousands more are coming because they have no choice because the country was run by idiots. I suspect he didn't really mean idiots, but again, polite mixed company at a light social event event.
What spoke more to me, though, was his facial expression. Maybe I read into it too much but it read to me a very profound expression of lament and loss, and that he had much more to say but thought better of it at the moment. I thought to myself that he was old enough to remember the before time and the quick deterioration to what it is today. I can only imagine what it's like to never be able to go back to your home or your homeland because it was stolen from you, and to see it destroyed with no ability to stop it.
The wife nodded agreement to her husband's statements and her facial expression matched his. It was a brief encounter and we moved on to other people and other lite chatter, but it stuck with me.
I can't imagine what that was like, but more importantly I don't want to imagine. Nor do I want my children or grandchildren to ever experience it. My final thought as I write this is that it can also happen here. It won't always be someone else and somewhere else. I must never forget that, and must do what I can to prevent it.
End of my rant.
