By David Gallup
“The most important question that faces each one of us in
the world today is ‘who are you?’”
For sixty-five years, Garry Davis asked this question
directly or indirectly of everyone he spoke with. Whether he was speaking
before the war-weary crowds of thousands after WWII, to border guards in his
travels, to a fellow prisoner while detained, on college campuses while running
for president, to NGOs and civil society at world summits, or to the audience
of his radio show, Davis focused on this question and demanded that those
listening to his words consider why this question is so important.
It is a question about opening people’s minds to how we are
each a part of something larger, greater than our individual selves. It leads
to a question about how we can accomplish more when we unite, then when we
divide ourselves. And it leads to a question about whether to respect a social
contract under law or to succumb to the fear and self-interest of war.
Sadly it has taken the war in Syria to begin to have a
dramatic effect on more stable countries, for the question of who you are, of who
we all are, to come to the forefront of discussion about national policies that
impact human rights.
Earlier during the past five years, much of the world watched
idly as millions of people fled Syria, as well as Iraq and Afghanistan, to
neighboring countries. Hundreds of thousands more continue to flee, many of
whom would rather face an arduous and dangerous trip to arrive in Europe rather
that remain displaced in Syria and elsewhere as war and militant extremism
rages on.
Journalists have documented the travels of many frightened
people risking their lives to find a new home where violence does not impact
their day-to-day lives. These people
have found that they have power in numbers – that when hundreds, indeed,
thousands of individuals approach the fences, armed frontier guards, and police
barricades, those obstacles cannot handle the pressure of the throngs of people
coming through. Footage from CNN reporter Arwa Damon attests to this power: http://www.cnn.com/2015/09/10/europe/refugee-crisis-questions-no-answers/
We have hoped to provide World Passports to thousands of individuals
at once – to the stateless or refugees from war and oppression -- to help them
travel to a safe haven. A large group of individuals could literally “storm”
frontiers together and overwhelm border police and guards (who will be unable
to stop them from exercising their fundamental right to travel), thereby
effectively erasing putative borders.
In the last few weeks, the World Service Authority donated more than
100 passports to Ogoni refugees in Benin who have been suffering in deplorable
refugee camp conditions for more than 20 years. This is in addition to the
approximately 1,000 passports that we have sent to individuals in these camps
in the past three years. Some of these people have made it to South Africa;
many remain in the camps. These refugees
wonder, “How can I get out of this camp?” and “Where will I go?”
For CNN journalist Damon, the two questions that she repeatedly hears
from those fleeing are: “How can they let this happen?” and “And why won’t they
help?”
As internal and international conflicts flare up, as energy
creation and pollution hasten climate change and adversely impact the
environment, and as nations fabricate and use nuclear, chemical, and biological
weapons, the “they” in those questions will invariably become “we.”
What is our identity if we are forced to leave our home
behind? Who must take us in? Where will we go if we have made everywhere unsafe
and unlivable? Who will protect and assist us? How can we ignore the plight of
other humans? What is our responsibility to our fellow human beings?
These are questions that we must ask ourselves now if we
want to have a sustainable world that works for all.
The first and most important question to ask yourself is, “Who
are you?” The earth and life-affirming answer is: “I am a world citizen and I
am a part of humanity and the earth.”
