The Pursit of Happiness

As this trip progresses I find myself being surprised by something at nearly every turn. We have been so fortunate as to be included in so many different activities with different people every single day. However there are also many things that have not surprised me at all, though if you had told me I would not find these things surprising I would not have believed it. The evidence of the overwhelming tenacity and resilience of the human spirit continues to grow with each new person I meet, each new story I hear and each new friend I make. 

The past couple of days have been truly singular and special. On Monday we were so lucky as to get to meet refugees from all over the place and speak with them and ask them questions. And every person I spoke to was incredible. From a woman from Eritrea who has literally been through all you can imagine- we’re talking forced marriage, grievous injury, etc. to the young man from Afghanistan who left his home country for reasons I can only guess at and hasn’t seen his family in years. However even with all the horrible stories we heard, the common theme of hopelessness continued to persist. These people were not beaten down by their experiences nor were they thinking negatively. They were not doing as I was and talking about every way the German government and the world had failed them. They were simply ordinary people in the pursuit of the best lives possible who would not let their hardships win. 

The next day was also truly special. The Pakistanis we had previously met at a container camp in Freising invited us to dinner at their home. They made us traditional Pakistani food from scratch, which was absolutely delicious by the way! Probably the best food I’ve had in Germany! Afterward we invited them to watch the Colombia vs. England soccer game in Freising and general merriment ensued. The hospitality and kindness showed to us by the Pakistanis was truly special and again, hopefulness was everywhere. With everything these young men had been through it would have been understandable if they didn’t want to open their lives and their home to us but they could not have possibly been more welcoming. It was a wonderful experience and a very, very good reminder that there is a lot more that unites humanity than that divides it. If Germans would just reach out more to these people they would see that there is nothing to fear at all and that it’s frankly ridiculous and small minded to protest their presence in Germany. 


The biggest challenge it seems to me, besides political challenges, is the failure of multiculturalism here in Germany. Humanity must learn to set aside its differences and focus on the common aspects of life that unite us all. 

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