If we believe that a person seeking refuge is to be pitied, feared, despised, and looked down upon, we are doing ourselves a disservice.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes the importance of empathy towards those seeking refuge rather than judgment or contempt.
Clemantine Wamariya articulates the essential human value of compassion in her quote, suggesting that viewing refugees with pity, fear, or disdain not only harms them but also detracts from our own humanity. Instead of looking down on these individuals, we should recognize their struggles as a reflection of a global issue that requires our empathy and understanding. This perspective invites us to support those in need and fosters a more compassionate society.
In practice
During a speech addressing the refugee crisis, this quote could remind the audience of the importance of empathy.
As a child growing up in refugee camps, life taught me that many things were impossible. My older sister, Claire, taught me otherwise when her strength and resilience made the impossible possible in the way she worked, behaved, and took control of our lives.
In their greatest hour of need, the world failed the people of Rwanda.
For me the Holocaust was not only a Jewish tragedy, but also a human tragedy. After the war, when I saw that the Jews were talking only about the tragedy of six million Jews, I sent letters to Jewish organizations asking them to talk also about the millions of others who were persecuted with us together - many of them only because they helped Jews.
It is unconscionable for Russia to force Ukrainian citizens into Russia, and put them in what will basically be concentration and prisoner camps.
I will never tire of repeating this: what the poor need the most is not pity but love. They need to feel respect for their human dignity, which is neither less nor different from the dignity of any other human being.
I try to be as honest about what I see and to speak rather than be silent, especially if it means I can save lives, or serve humanity.
The everyday kindness of the back roads more than makes up for the acts of greed in the headlines.
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