#opinion, Dear Diary, page 10: We Have to Believe…

The first page I write to you, dear diary, in 2024, but well… I’ll begin with numbers, numbers that tell stories of lives, torments, horror, desperation, and tragedies. More than 22 thousand people have died trying to cross the Mediterranean to reach European shores… On the other side of the world, over 1,104 individuals (labelled as illegal by many in the US) lost their lives trying to cross into the United States in 2023*. Trying to reach Spain in 2023, more than 6,600 perished…

They may be just numbers, but they are lives of beloved beings for their families, friends, parents, children, mothers, daughters, brothers, cousins, and so on. These died not trying to break the laws of other countries, no! They did it out of desperation. It was the desperate father, the son with no prospects for a promising future, the persecuted, the one fleeing from the destruction of war, the one yearning for a better life, those are the ones who died at sea or in the desert.

They were not criminals, they were tormented souls who only longed to find refuge. And they have every right in the world. No one throws themselves into the sea lightly. No one crosses deserts and vast parts of continents because they enjoy adventure. They do it in search of salvation. Those seeking refuge do not have the luxury of doing so through normal channels, nor do they have the time either. They have to do it however they can because the need is relentless and the help is very scarce.

Talking about migrants and refugees is also something biblical and here I remind Christians and believers what the Bible says:

Exodus 23:9 “Do not oppress a foreigner; you yourselves know how it feels to be foreigners, because you were foreigners in Egypt.”

Leviticus 19:9-10 “When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the foreigner.”

Leviticus 19:33-34 “When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the Lord your God.”

I’ll leave it here, dear diary. I hope we have the will and fortitude to do something about this great challenge before us. And why cannot we blame the foreigner that seeks a better life in our lands? Because our industrialised «First World» countries are to blame for the poverty and need that exists in som many places in Asia, Africa and America. Now it is our turn to help and help we must, with a smile on our faces and a disposed heart. We must do what God himself taught us we must do. And for those who do not believe in God, it’s ok, there is morality also among atheists…

* Missing Migrants Project indicates that as of 2023, 1,104 migrants have died or gone missing on the routes of the Americas, of which 370 were due to drowning, 282 to vehicle accidents, 148 to environmental conditions, lack of shelter, food or water; 77 to acts of violence, 76 to accidental deaths, 34 to illnesses or lack of access to healthcare, and 117 for unknown reasons. (EFE)

CHEERS…