I took a break tonight from my still frighteningly busy desk to hear Paul Rusesabagina speak as part of the university's Distinguished Speaker series.
He explained the political/ethnic context leading up to the 1994 Rwanda genocide and talked us through the events as they unfolded. He said he didn't make the decision to help people survive; initially, people showed up at his home seeking refuge and he couldn't turn them away.
Although his remarks were mainly narrative, he did make several points worth repeating. First, the best (and worst) weapons humans use are the words we say. Paul recounted how he opened dialogues with soldiers and militia that lasted for hours before they arrived at some kind of agreement. Fight with words, not with guns, he advocated. Guns have never been the best solution.
Second, it's essential to listen to each other. We can't find other solutions if we don't understand the other party or what they want/need. He also said he kept his enemies close to him so he'd know what was happening with them.
His final point was to say NO to the killing fields. Don't look the other way. Don't stay silent on the issue because silence equals agreement. If we find genocide abhorrent, we need to SAY SO.
In the Q&A following his remarks, Paul said that America has been largely silent on the genocide in Rwanda. He said Africa needs diplomats to start dialogues and bring truth to the table and that America can help support these dialogues.
And if we ever despair thinking one person's action (or inaction) can't make that much difference, perhaps it's time to re-rent the movie, Hotel Rwanda.
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I can't tell you how distressing I find it that the value of dialogue is so little these days. Talking to each other, and listening very well, is the kind of "higher" human skill we should have and use all the time. Guns seem like the lowest common denominator.
The US is good at talking, sorta -- blustering is the word I'd use perhaps. Definitely SUCKS at listening. That really makes me sad, no kidding. The older I get, the more I want us to talk and to listen.
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