The High Price for Pursuing Knowledge in Some Parts of the Developing World

how much does it cost to go to school?
you might automatically answer - much.
but just how much?

well, most people will argue that no matter the cost, education is an invaluable and essential asset for the development of any individual. i will not refute the least such a statement, since i, myself, believe in this!

nevertheless, despite all arguments in support, i want to ask you -

what if it might cost you your life? will you still go to school? will you be willing to expose yourself to life danger just so that you can get to the classroom and learn?and why yes, or why no.

i suppose there will be those denying the possibility of such radical outcomes as the loss of life, but the facts are against such claims.

the reality in which some people 'survive' and actually pursue knowledge and development is utterly different from ours,immensely complicated and striking, and while we might wonder how to pay for the best schools, how to take advantage of the best options available to us and in one way or another consequently to succeed, or simply how to skip going to school...some people go to school at the risk of their lives.


who are these people? where is schooling being persecuted and why?

whether we talk about a war-torn area like Somalia or Darfur, or a radical Islamist town in a country like Afghanistan, controlled by the Talibans (or other extremist groups for that matter), or destitute places like Cambodia or Ethiopia, we can find parallels everywhere!

the 'price' of reaching school might differ, from being raped and beaten to being sold into prostitution or..as the latest of these cases shows, being the victim of a an attack with acid by some coward who just couldn't stand the thought of women's empowerment and emancipation.

the story of the several Afghan girls who were attacked with acid in the city of Kandahar in southern Afghanistan just days ago, is another proof of the high price some children, and especially girls, have to pay, to have the chance to overcome poverty by acquiring education. Education is Power. And those who seek to halt the educating of girls know that very well. They fear immensely even the slightest possibility of being overthrown by an empowered new generation of women who have sacrificed much in their lives and who are ready to see radical change and improvement in society. And they have definite reasons to fear because their cowardly attacks will ultimately prove unsuccessful! Some people are ready to pay the High price...and pursue knowledge. Take Shamsia, for example, she received the most severe injures in the recent attack, and yet, while still in the hospital, with her face burned from the acid, she claimed: "I'll continue my schooling even if they try to kill me. I won't stop going to school"... this is courage, this is spirit, this is strength, this is power!

you might wonder, why on earth will someone walk 5 miles a day, like some girls in Sudan and Congo (or many other areas around the globe where the protection of the citizens is beyond any measure!), just to attend classes, at the risk of being attacked and raped; you might think why some girls will not let their chance of being schooled pass by and choose to risk their lives to learn merely how to write and read...and here is Shamsia's answer to you all: "I'll continue going to lessons. I'm studying to be able to build our country"...the response to the same question, given by a little girl whose leg was chopped off by some rebels in Congo and who nevertheless, continued walking the 5 miles to school, without protease, just a crunch (risking to be raped by gangs on the way to and back)...was this "I dream to become a teacher when I grow up and be able to teach children and help them "...

the answer to "why would someone be willing to pay a price so high for education?" is simple: it's the will and desire of every man and woman to develop and reach their full potential, to be all that they can be, dream and pursue their dreams, and live a dignified and decent life!

the answer is simple - it's man's highest aspiration to reach to the stars, and to fly with the eagles, to be all that God made him/her to be, and live like a human!!!

the next time you start complaining about how much you wish u didn't have to study for exams, attend classes, or have to write papers and listen to lectures...i urge you to take a deep look at yourself and see...just how very blessed you truly are.
and when you see it, i urge you to give the Lord the glory and the praise and Pray that all may be privileged to have a chance like yours, a chance to become all that they are meant to, a chance to fulfill their dreams and reach their stars...a chance to be free (of torture, fear, abuse, despair, poverty) to not just survive..but LIVE!

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Real Life Survivors vs. entertainment 'survivors'

it's early in the morning. i wake up, take a long hot shower, prepare my coffee, take a glass of water, put my clothes in the laundry...and get to work...the day is busy, i run the errands, chat with friends, manage my finances, eat, shop, cook, clean...etc, till it's time to relax. but first: 'It's been a tiring day', 'money is not enough', 'life is too hard', 'life is unfair', 'i'm so unlucky'...sounds familiar?

our lives have become so facilitated by all kinds of gadgets and amenities, yet instead of being simplified, they have become way too complicated (and meaningless). now, we (by 'we' i mean that percentage of the world's population which actually has access and enjoys fully this so-called 'modern life') don't try to survive and live day for day, scarcely meeting ends...no,we don't. and we don't know what it means to see your kids die because you couldn't provide for them, no, we don't. we don't comprehend the struggles and the human will to Survive, to Live, to Be, because we've been given a chance by birth (or so).

So, instead, we resort to more sophisticated ways of understanding the grudges, the hardships and 'tricks' of survival...entertainment.

Shows like 'Survivor' have become so popular all over the world. We admire the men and women who push themselves to extremes to 'survive'...and eventually win a million dollars or so...ye, but survivor is nothing like that! ...anyway, who wants to know. it's enough to see a few photos of starving children on the news, hear about hundreds of thousands of people 'displaced' (one might not even understand it well)...that exhausts our engagement in World Affairs, which are for politicians to solve... and then we can switch back to our Entertainment channel.

I'm not against entertainment in general. i suppose it is beneficial in some ways, enriching our lives or just helping us relax, but these particular forms of entertainment have exposed and perverted some of human's most honourable qualities, like will power, determination, vigour, courage etc. What do these shows encourage and inspire us for? Seeing how far a man can be pushed, the limits of his/her strength, will, hope? But it's all fake...because no one will be willing to do these things if there were no incentives. So, then, is this kind of show really displaying the heights of human courage and will power...or the depth of his/her desire to attain the prize (simply the greed for money)? I guess stimulation is not a bad thing, it is indeed necessary, since humans operate better when they are given a carrot, rather than nothing...but we are missing the point.

If you look closer in the news next time, and instead of ignoring or avoiding the faces of the displaced, the refugees, the starved, the underprivileged, the sick, and the weak...you will not see losers, but real life Survivors, heroes who have fought more battles than soldiers in wars have! Then you will be moved!
It is these people who aspire admiration and honour, the ones who Never give up, who strive to Survive on a daily basis...whose courage is beyond our understanding. These are the Survivors of this world. And this is NOT entertainment!

Don't encourage shows like 'Big Brother', which deprives people from growing and only engages them in meaningless gossip and trivial stories. Don't encourage shows like the World's Eating competition, during which, tons of food is wasted and which, despite all the food being devoured, leaves your mind and soul empty. Don't encourage shows like 'Survivor', or even 'Fear Factor', which despite being quite amusing and exciting, only prove the ultimate power of money to control people, to push them to do...just about anything.

When you wake up tomorrow, let your first words be of giving thanks, for just how blessed you truly are, and let your life not be 'devoured' by the media, 'consumed' by the multi-million corporations, but let it be moved and transformed by the stories of those to whom heaven belongs...the real survivors of this world. Jesus said,

" Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was in prison and you came to visit me....

'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me...' Matt.25:31-46

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Where is Bulgaria? (the value of global geography knowledge)

For reference, I come from a relatively small country, with total area of 111.000 square km. and less than 8 million people population. My country is Bulgaria and it is a very beautiful place, with many wonderful snow peak mountains, sunny beaches, warmhearted people and rich culture and folklore.
But where is Bulgaria after all?
During the 5th International Cultural Festival in Peking University, Beijing, China, where Bulgaria had a separate booth for the 5th consecutive year, I gathered rather interesting accounts on the location of this mysterious country Bulgaria. All visitors were given a sort of a brochure, with a place for getting a stamp from all the countries represented at the festival. The brochure was divided into continents with no further explanations about which country belongs to which continent. That's how the puzzle began...

So, as newcomers were passing by our stand, I took the venture to inquire and ask them to point on their brochure the continent to which my country belongs, and only when successfully guessing, to stamp their brochure.
But why should they know? The great Chinese nation with 5.000years of history and culture and a population of more than 1.6billion people? Should it be bothered about an insignificant country like mine? I think yes.

Well, still, the results were rather fascinating. According to several people, Bulgaria was situated in the heart of Africa...very intriguing...only that I was so stunned that I forgot to ask in which part of the African map I should look for it.

The next most popular guess was ...Asia. Truly unexpected, since, if nothing else, Asia should be the continent Chinese are most familiar with, but apparently no.
Yes, indeed, there were even more wild guesses, like the one that Bulgaria was in fact situated on the continent of Australia...though I didn't quite comprehend, whether it is an island or an aborigine's tribe.
Of course, the guesses were not short of describing Bulgaria as part of America, I am guessing they meant Latin America, because even in the past I have come across people confusing Bulgaria with Bolivia.
So, finally, there were those who firmly proved their knowledge, when they stated that Bulgaria was, of course, in Eastern Europe (which it truly is), and was part of the Soviet Union (which it was not, but at least it gave communist 'comrades' the geographical knowledge others still lack).

What conclusions could be drawn from this random 'survey', or 'fieldwork', if you'd like?
First of all, as I looked deeper into these disturbing results, I was struck by my own narrow mindedness. But, of course these various people had logical reasons to assume that Bulgaria was elsewhere and not in Eastern Europe!
Why in Africa? Well, considering archaeological discoveries of the Kenyan man, it turns out that some time, millions of years ago, we all, Bulgarian ancestors and others, originated in the African plateau. One down. But why Asia? Well, considering the great migrations in history, it turns out that the ancestors of the Bulgarian people did, indeed, cross parts of Asia, and most probably mixed a little bit with the local women and men, just so much so, that Bulgaria has preserved an Asian trace up to this day.
So far, so good. As for the Australian guess, I am still puzzled and my only explanation is that 'Bulgaria' sounds like an exotic tribe...hm...The Latin American guess is quite understandable considering the similarity between the names Bolivia and Bulgaria, and considering the relatively similar looks some Bulgarians and Latinos share.

An enriching experience indeed. But what are the implications of one such research? Well, Bulgaria is not the smallest, and definitely not the most unknown of the world's states. Many people are familiar with Bulgarian football, gymnastics, some of them have even heard about Bulgarian Rose oil, and as for the Japanese and Korean people, they know Bulgaria best for its yogurt. This is not discouraging at all, since there are other states suffering from even deeper 'uknowningness' :).

Putting away all my perceptions of what states originally mean, I venture to think globally. From a global perspective, "the world is a global village" kind of thinking can definitely be of help to interpret the results that occurred during the 'survey'. Why should we distinguish ourselves strictly as belonging to a specific place, behind certain borders, carrying a particular nationality, when, we can be citizens of the world? I am engaged to a wonderful Ugandan man and many of my closest friends are Africans. Indeed, part of my heart is in Africa and as far as I am concerned, I was quite pleased with the African location of Bulgaria. I have lived in Asia for the last 6 years and I believe that this continent has so much history and culture to offer, is so rich in knowledge and natural beauty, that for Bulgaria to be situated there will not be all that bad etc.
You got my line of thinking?
So much for the 'global perspective'. All in all, I believe that better understanding of the peoples of the earth, will lead to better mutual understanding and harmonious co-existence (as my Chinese 'comrades' would say) among all nations. Our differences and uniqueness should not be interpreted as causes for conflict, but rather as pillars for stable relationships. As we learn to appreciate and respect each other's cultures and countries, we will also find significant similarities among our peoples and will, eventually, achieve global peace and harmony.

I just want to thank all the people who visited our stand and learned something more about Bulgaria. As for those who still haven't had the chance to, I invite all of you to take the time and make the trip to Bulgaria, the Bulgaria still situated in South-Eastern Europe (or Eastern depending on different texts), and explore its unique and splendid natural scenes and gorgeous sights.

Thank you!
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THE OBITUARY OF HUMAN RACE

THE HUMAN RACE DIED LAST NIGHT IN ITS, YET ANOTHER UNSUCCESSFUL ATTEMPT TO LIVE A MEANINGFUL LIFE!

WE - THE REMNANTS, THE REMAINS, THE RUINS, ARE GRIEVING IN THE MOST SORROWFUL MANNER POSSIBLE, YET, REALIZING THE DAMAGE HAD TO BE DEVASTATING, HAVING IN MIND THE SCALE OF HUMAN RACE'S MADNESS AND OBSCENITY!!!

FOR THOSE IN MOURNING AND FOR THOSE STILL WONDERING ABOUT THE CAUSES OF THE LETHAL END OF HUMANKIND, LET US LIST 5 POSSIBLE THINGS THAT KILLED MANKIND!

1. their total obssession with a little thing called MIRROR...in which they used to see someone greater and better than anyone else, someone who deserved to be served and pampered, someone who apparently was as good as (a) god...., someone called SELF and this someone consequently turned out to be a mere illusion, fed up by their own pathetic maniac-driven actions and who, at the end, crashed into pieces and gauged their eyes and pierced their hands and twisted their arms and broke their legs...and left them total invalids, incapable of looking beyond the dark, seeing beyond the fog, hearing beyond the wall, going beyond the door. incapable of cutting open this mascarade costume of brutal pretence and getting out of it, out of the nutshell, out of the SELF- image SELF-body SELF-self....unable to grasp the reality as it poses itself in the distance, unable to catch the horizon...maybe only the vertical (in a whole different dimension), unable to break the walls, jump off the prison and shake the dust off their feet and see the NON-SELF dimension...unable...to see that it wasn't , it had never been about them...and that they were and they were nothing but SLAVES to the master SELF, who controlled every neuron, electron, and atom in their system.

2. as years went by, they caught a disease, incurable, demolishing lives mystery virus called - INSATIABLE DESIRE. they were all literally swallowed by its huge jaws and despite its horiffic looks, poignant smell, and dreadful nature...they were drawn to it, like bees to honey...it's the drug that drove all their instincts, replaced all their natural habits, their feelings, their emotions, it's a poison of some sort, a lethal weapon of a kind, made by an unknown (known) source and operated through a nasty parasyte that penetrates the FLESH (so perishable and weak) and strikes the very essence of human beings - the total annihilator also known as TEMPTATION (greed). so, all in all, its mechanism is as simple as this: the virus finds its victim, the parasyte follows and establishes itself securely, and then...waits for the victim to fall in its traps...it repeatedly says : YOU WANT TO HAVE THIS...and the hypnotized victim whose "immune" system is already totally out of order due to DISBELIEF, DISLLUSIONMENT, DIS....replies back I WANT TO HAVE THIS and I WILL NOT STOP AT ANYTHING TILL I HAVE IT...so, this is how all the strongholds of "moral values", built up traditions, beliefs and wisdom...evaporate and turn into smoke, which only intensifies the disillusionment of the already dizzled victim...then...its history

3. another method of self-destruction commonly used by the primitive species called HOMO HABILIS was WORDING, in other words, using words simply for the sake of using them, unaware (ignorant) of the immense power hidden in them and of the possible catastrophic effects of their MISusage (or amazing power and effect if properly used)...so it all started, word by word dropped in the field, like dead landmines...which have completed their mission - to exterminate their target - and rest numbly dull...words of courage now gave out only squeaks like parrots, words of wisdom, only sounded like foolish blabber, words of love, nothing but mere clatter...so it was, yet before, long long ago, there were times when words had magical power to give life, to bind the broken hearted, to heal the sick, to revive the dead, to restore the weak, to relieve the suffering, to bring to victory the losing...there were times when s.o. would tell s.o. else "i love you" and all nature will suddenly fall in deep silence and profound meditation...contemplating the beauty and magic of life. there were times when s.o. would put an arm on the shoulder of another and will whisper "don't worry, two are better than one...i am here for you". there were times when mothers sang lullabies, when the wind was blowing a melodious sonnet, when the waves would play a symphonic orcestra, when the grass would dance the cha-cha-cha...and s.o. somewhere would say "praise God, who made all these things, praise the Creator of life, praise him"...these times are now over. God said "i give you life and death - choose life", yet they chose death.

4. then came THE "saviour". some, who got the chance to own him, those who got the chance to grasp him, or even just to smeLl him, all of them truly worshipped him, fervently and zealously they brought sacrifices to him to quench its desire (like a vampire of a sort, he used to suck human's good and process it to come out a new product - excrements)...but it would not cease craving for more...till it leaves you with nothing but the desire to own him, which builds up like a volcano and sooner or later erupts...and the damages it causes...are indescribible. first it requires only your attention, then your time, then your family, then your belief system, then your love, your joy, it asks you to betray your friends, to forget your God, to despise your morals, to denounce your beliefs and finally...ultimately...it strips you off your own life, lures you to embrace HIM with all your vigour, zeal, and devotion... and just as you think you got it all... leaves you to become a rotten good-for-nothing nobody. this beast's pseudonym is "dough", also known as $ MONEY - yet another terrorist capable of murdering thousands upon thousands of "innocent" people. people forgot it was all paper...and fire beats paper...just as rock beats fire...just as water beats them both...and just as the bible says "nobody can serve two masters, you either serve God or money"...they chose the latter...and they suffered the irreversible consequencesof their WRONG CHOICES.

5.then came the "different ones", the weirdos, the left-overs, the test-ers, THE ALIENS, the others....that's us...the remnants, the ruins, the petals of past "glory", the notes of a sung melody, the voice of a distant echo....we warned, yet they were deaf... blind... and mute...to our voices. "we" were in the shadow of the tall skyscrapers, in the shacks of the nearby slums, brothels, we were the unheard, the invisible, the forgotten...and even though many shouted for help... many asked for mercy, it was unseen, unheard of, unknown...it was all EMPTY. we suffered the disasters, both human-caused and natural; we drove the economies of the Human Race, but as foreign elements; we Produced the joys, pleasures and amenities for the The Human Race without enjoyin their benefits...we were alive, yet for them we were dead. so, then, when their own pity, trivial existence was pushed to the edge...

...they woke up...

and realized that the human race cannot be human and cannot be a race, without those tiny, negligible elements hidden for the naked eye, those rusty old parts forgotten and left to die away...just as each machine needs all its elements, to the smallest one, to operate properly...

...but it was too late...

we have scattered around in search of a refuge, in search of a new life, in search of salvation...and we've found it in the arms of THE SAVIOUR - Jesus Christ...the rest is history.

we are here to testify for the atrocities committed by the human race to us, as well as to forgive wholeheartedly these monstreous acts and to unite to built a new human race...one whose engine is driven by mercy and love, and whose purpose is to bring joy and happiness to all, one in which every element, regardless of its size or position, deserves and receives full recognition, respect, and a love-filled life!

we pay our respects to the ashes of human race and we pray that they never repeat the mistakes from the past!

God bless us all!

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