Avoid War Instead Of Saving Its Victims
Touched by the sight of a haggard Sudan girl dropping down by hunger and a preying bird waiting, watching her die, Kevin Carter did take the photo first, then chased the bird away. Suppose the bird attacked the girl, would he have left the girl unprotected, for the sake of creating a first rate photo and get a Prize, or, on the contrary, save the girl and lose his chance?
Indeed, his photo was awarded the Pulitzer Prize. But what was much more, was that with this photo he succeeded to stir the public towards the agonies, cruelty war inflicts, rather than having a big honorarium or a special Prize.
But to me, who hardly ever experienced, saw an actual war at close quarters, the cry and the sight of a very dirty, stinking, hungry, sick puppy left neglected by its owner on a garbage heap at the roadside in the rain was even more touching and stirring.
Whoever wants to take care of such a puppy. Its death would perhaps be welcomed. Yet there was still someone, a young girl who took care of it and saved her life. How happy she was. She could hardly sleep. She certainly couldn’t shoot a special picture as Kevin Carter did for the world to know, or get a Nobel Prize as Mother Theresa.
The puppy grew into a healthy, nice looking, happy doggy and she readily was accepted as a very dear family member.
I hoped, wished for the girl on the photograph of Kevin Carter that she might have the same happy fate as this puppy, and also for all the children, people, soldiers who were victims of war, which wasn’t photo-ed and published, not only those in Rwanda, Bosnia, Iraq, Palestine but also those in America, England, Argentine, Israel and all over the world.
Though it’s far better that we, the world, would or could avoid war, instead of saving the wounded, rescue the victims, forcing families to be separated from fathers, husbands, sons, fiancé‘s, loved ones and might lose them; and owners do not leave their puppies, their baby pets neglected on a garbage heap at the roadside.
From Jayakarta, August 12, 1994
Touched by the sight of a haggard Sudan girl dropping down by hunger and a preying bird waiting, watching her die, Kevin Carter did take the photo first, then chased the bird away. Suppose the bird attacked the girl, would he have left the girl unprotected, for the sake of creating a first rate photo and get a Prize, or, on the contrary, save the girl and lose his chance?
Indeed, his photo was awarded the Pulitzer Prize. But what was much more, was that with this photo he succeeded to stir the public towards the agonies, cruelty war inflicts, rather than having a big honorarium or a special Prize.
But to me, who hardly ever experienced, saw an actual war at close quarters, the cry and the sight of a very dirty, stinking, hungry, sick puppy left neglected by its owner on a garbage heap at the roadside in the rain was even more touching and stirring.
Whoever wants to take care of such a puppy. Its death would perhaps be welcomed. Yet there was still someone, a young girl who took care of it and saved her life. How happy she was. She could hardly sleep. She certainly couldn’t shoot a special picture as Kevin Carter did for the world to know, or get a Nobel Prize as Mother Theresa.
The puppy grew into a healthy, nice looking, happy doggy and she readily was accepted as a very dear family member.
I hoped, wished for the girl on the photograph of Kevin Carter that she might have the same happy fate as this puppy, and also for all the children, people, soldiers who were victims of war, which wasn’t photo-ed and published, not only those in Rwanda, Bosnia, Iraq, Palestine but also those in America, England, Argentine, Israel and all over the world.
Though it’s far better that we, the world, would or could avoid war, instead of saving the wounded, rescue the victims, forcing families to be separated from fathers, husbands, sons, fiancé‘s, loved ones and might lose them; and owners do not leave their puppies, their baby pets neglected on a garbage heap at the roadside.
From Jayakarta, August 12, 1994
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