Those who are worse off

UNICEF today sent me a leaflet to encourage me to donate again, and I used the opportunity to read some of the stories to the girls. It's a harsh world for many children, and I want my kids to be aware of how privileged they are, and try to encourage them to feel that they can make a difference for the better for other people who are not so lucky. One thing I try to teach them is to give thanks, to appreciate the things we have, and not always to want more.

It's difficult for anyone living in our developed society not to dream of luxuries, often unnecessary ones, even detrimental ones. And it's difficult to always compare yourself to those who are worse off - it's easier to see what one lacks compared to those who are better off.

Today's Spiegel online (a weekly German magazine's online portal) had an article about a man who had escaped a North Korean torture camp after 20 years. I didn't even start to read the story. I did, however, just try to watch Steve McQueen's film "Hunger". It's about IRA prisoners who try to obtain a status as political prisoners, and the trials and tribulations they go through in prison. I managed to watch a third. It was the most grotesque, gruesome film I think I have ever watched. I had to think about all the articles and pictures I have seen about torture, which all remain so abstract, so palatable and censored for the general public.

I am at a loss for words.