This is an open letter to all of the children of Syria, to those who are still around and those who didn't make it. Today we are talking about you because of a small body that washed up on Turkey's coast. Aylan Kurdi is a name that has generated likes and shares that have raised awareness of your suffering. I can only hope that he lives on, a boat in the sky taking him somewhere safe that his boat in the Mediterranean couldn't.
For the past few years, we've heard of your suffering. Occasionally a story will arise on CNN or NBC that will talk about the advance of ISIS or the cruelties of the Bashar Al-Assad regime. Sometimes we'll even see that man on television. Two years ago, President Obama even contemplated declaring war on the latter when it was discovered that you were on the receiving end of globally abhorred chemical weapons. Even those who rejected war talked about how to help you peacefully.
But then, of course, our eyes were drawn to a shutdown of our government because we couldn't agree on how to pay our bills. After that, we forgot about your struggles, although they only grew worse. Many of us seemingly forgot about the war, prioritized with the 2014 election, or the latest show on television, or our jobs, or our own problems so close to home that they drew our attention from the atrocities happening out of view.
Your lives were being destroyed and you were growing up in a childhood of chaos and loss. Every day the tragedy would worsen but, to the rest of the world, it faded from view. When we saw an occasional image like the one at the top of this article, we'd ask, like the reporter in that interview, "why are you crying?"
I'd like to say that we were justified. Our lives are much closer to home, and our own lives are our priority. While that's true, it doesn't justify our failure to revisit the topic after that shutdown. We have every obligation as human beings to help you. As one boy named Badir asked the world in a YouTube video, "My dream was destroyed, my family destroyed, my country destroyed...will you just pretend we don't exist?"
That was almost four years ago. I have no idea whether Badir has survived. I'm sorry, Badir.
All I can hope is that the awareness the recent discussion has caused will not fade away. Plain and simple, I hope that we won't be distracted again, be it by Donald Trump's latest rant about political correctness run wild or Hillary Clinton's latest crimes involving e-mail.
It's our responsibility from here on out to extend as much help to you as we can, which is why I'm working through my history club to sponsor charity events for your cause, as are others around my campus. We can help you, and I hope that the food, money and supplies we send you make your days a little brighter, to know that someone hears your voice and cares about your struggle.
What we can't do is bring back the dead. The thousands of you who are no longer with us, I can apologize forever, but it won't bring you back to life. What I can do is promise to share this message with my friends, family and colleagues and ask others to do the same in hopes that the people who can give will choose to do so. Maybe then we won't ask why you're crying because I do have faith that for those still listening we can bring you hope.
The moment that caught my attention, that inspired me to write this article, was that same boy, when asked why he was crying, responding with a phrase that has in our time become synonymous with death and destruction, "God is great" said in Arabic. Even in the face of suffering, you said it as a last resort of hope, as a reminder that you're never alone. I believe you're right. I believe God will always be there for you. You will always have hope, no matter how dark it gets in your life, that things can and will get better. I believe you will go to school, become successful, and some day lead a happy life of your own. Never lose hope.
There are a number of organizations, such as Save the Children and UNICEF through which you can donate to help a Syrian child. Share the news, and encourage your friends and family to donate. Everything will help them.
