This is one of the consequences of the civil war. People stop trusting each other, and every stranger becomes an enemy.
Interpretation
The quote highlights how conflict can erode trust among individuals, turning acquaintances into perceived threats.
Ishmael Beah's quote reflects on the damaging impact of civil war on social relationships. It suggests that in the aftermath of such conflict, societal bonds weaken, and individuals may view others with suspicion and as potential enemies rather than allies or friends. This pervasive distrust can lead to further social fragmentation and isolation, impacting community cohesion and personal relationships.
In practice
In a discussion about the impacts of war on communities.
How many more times do we have to come to terms with death before we find safety?" he asked. He waited a few minutes, but the three of us didn't say anything. He continued: "Every time people come at us with the intention of killing us, I close my eyes and wait for death. Even though I am still alive, I feel like each time I accept death, part of me dies. Very soon I will completely die and all that will be left is my empty body walking with you. It will be quieter than I am.
...children have the resilience to outlive their sufferings, if given a chance.
When I was young, my father used to say, βIf you are alive, there is hope for a better day and something good to happen. If there is nothing good left in the destiny of a person, he or she will die.β I thought about these words during my journey, and they kept me moving even when I didnβt know where I was going. Those words became the vehicle that drove my spirit forward and made it stay alive.
Some people tried to hurt us to protect themselves, their family and communities...This was one of the consequences of civil war. People stopped trusting each other, and every stranger became an enemy. Even people who knew you became extremely careful about how they related or spoke to you.
The question isn't, 'What do we want to know about people?', It's, 'What do people want to tell about themselves?'
It's okay to send flowers, but don't let the flowers do all the talking. Flowers have a limited vocabulary. About the best flowers can say is that you remembered. But your words tell the rest.
There is a destiny which makes us brothers; none goes his way alone. All that we send into the lives of others comes back into our own.
I say everything's about company. A gourmet meal with an asshole is a horrible meal. A hot dog with an interesting person is an amazing meal.
Watching him during the first several minutes of his delivery, Cecilia felt a pleasant sinking sensation in her stomach as she contemplated how deliciously self-destructive it would be, almost erotic, to be married to a man so nearly handsome, so hugely rich, so unfathomably stupid. He would fill her with his big-faced children, all of them loud, boneheaded boys with a passion for guns and football and aeroplanes.
My dad's a beautiful man, but like a lot of Mexican men, or men in general, a lot of men have a problem with the balance of masculinity and femininity - intuition and compassion and tenderness - and get overboard with the macho thing. It took him a while to become more, I would say, conscious, evolved.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.