Shantaram

Not quite so cold today, but found this little frosty spot when walking along the beach this morning. This afternoon's task is to prepare a presentation for the next segment of the literacy course this weekend - go team PowerPoint!

Now I don't really like using social media to make political statements, but I am currently reading Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts, and one passage struck me when I was reading last night. where the characters discuss the meaning of suffering. One of the Palestinian characters says:

'if you'd been born and raised in Palestine, you'd know that some people are born to suffer. And it never stops, for them. Not for a second. You'd know where real suffering comes from. It's the same place where love and freedom and pride are born. And it's the same place where those feelings and ideals die. That suffering never stops. We only pretend it does. We only tell ourselves it does, to make the kids stop whimpering in their sleep.'

This passage was set over 30 years ago, and it saddens me that it still bears relevance today.