As my readers know, I very much enjoy
travelling to different countries and experiencing what foreign parts have to
offer but for the first time in my travels I felt extraordinarily anxious to
return to Canada. I had some very
enjoyable experiences in both Poland and Denmark, enjoying the countries and
also having a wonderful time with my family and friends. However the whole time I was in Europe I had
a very unsettled feeling which was caused by the almost ceaseless news reports
of what they call “the migration crisis” in Europe.
It didn’t matter what channel I was on,
Danish, British, Swedish or German, the news was constantly focused on the
hundreds of thousands of refugees flooding into Europe, the pictures were
graphic. They are coming from every
direction, from Africa, the Middle East as well as places like Bosnia, Serbia
and other eastern European countries.
There were “mini documentaries” on the paths of migration that the
people were taking and on their reactions when they were stopped at
borders. The refugees were confused,
outraged, angry, upset and desperate.
Only part of the other side of the story
was told, how the countries are ill prepared to take in the overwhelming
numbers of refugees, legitimate or not.
Almost nothing was said of the wars raging in the countries they are
fleeing from. But there were some bits
about the “people smugglers” and how many bodies were found along the roads to
freedom.
The situation is critical and I do not
pretend for a moment to think that I have any answers at all. All I did know was that I had a sense that
things were only going to get worse and that it was a good idea to be home
where I understood the situation better.
Really?
I came home to a country half way through the politicking of a federal
election and it is a little like déjà vu
from the last time I returned from Denmark.
Our prime minister is still throwing out a lot of half-truths (to be
polite) and the media doesn’t seem to know if they are on board or not. Which way does the wind blow today?
Ah, it’s all fun and games until someone
loses an eye.
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