Entangled in the heavy loads of classes, upcoming papers and exams, this fifth week might have you feeling a bit overwhelmed. And as you walk to class with the ocean settling softly upon the slopes of your shoulders, it can be easy to forget the beautiful place in which you live. Today, most of you will have the same routine schedule, going to classes, eating meals, seeing friends and attending to other commitments you have lined up. Yet in many parts of the world, a day like this would be a mere dream.
For months, the bloody conflict that has continued between Qaddafi loyalists and rebel forces has been followed closely through the eyes of international media and displayed on our television screens. The fight to unclench Muammar Qaddafi’s powerful hand of authority has provoked a strong reaction from anti-Qaddafi fighters seeking territorial gains, causing the Libyan people to suffer catastrophic fatalities while watching their own country be stripped apart by bombs, missiles and shootings.
In Libya, around 5,000 refugees remain stranded from their own country, setting up in camps along the border of Egypt and Tunisia, countries that have both recently had their own revolutions. Threatened by the growing violence and danger that has spread wildly throughout the country, these men, women and children live in ruthless conditions, often going days without the basic supplemental needs for survival.
There have also been horrifying reports of women being raped by soldiers as a tactic of revenge, causing pain, humiliation, and often death. Along with this, a sub-population of black African migrants residing in Libya has also been targeted, their lives threatened. Using racial profiling as a weapon, rebels have gone after those, mainly of African descent, who resemble former mercenaries Qaddafi once used to carry out his attacks. Many of these individuals are innocent merchants, yet they continue to be attacked and imprisoned.
Of course, this is just a glimpse of the brutality that has yet to come to an end in Libya. To pretend that these violations do not occur is not only abandoning those in need, but is also a disservice to ourselves. It is crucial for students on this campus to look at the continuing conflicts outside the boundaries of our small campus in Malibu. The more knowledge we can accumulate about international topics, the broader our perspectives will be in understanding cross-cultural issues and gaining geopolitical awareness. From this awareness, we can take a step back and reflect, to see the opportunities we have not only as blessings, but as instruments for change.
As students of Pepperdine University, we are called to live a life of purpose, service and leadership. The next time you have a chance to walk to class in reflection, ask yourself what this means to you, and how you can take action in your own life.
