Weighing life II

I went to see Ishmael Beah a couple of days ago. My goodness. Get the book. This young man, after losing his family, was recruited as a soldier at the age of 13, drugged, indoctrinated, and convinced to commit "heinous acts". Trust me on that without further description- I can't imagine anyone pulling himself back together after what he was convinced to do. Some years later, Beah was rescued by an NGO, rehabilitated, and now, at the age of 26, lives in NYC. He's bright, articulate, passionate, and seems remarkably relaxed in front of a large audience. I was proud of my small town that we filled a decent hall to overflowing to hear his words. The reading was about 20 minutes late because of an effort to accommodate everyone who wanted to crowd into the space.

I'd feel like a cheat to say much more than I already have, other than to mention the two reactions to this that continue to ricochet through my head as I think back on his words. First, I'm amazed that it is possible to bring someone back from the place that Beah went to -- there's some astonishing resilience here. Moral compasses twisted into corkscrews are somehow capable of being repaired, and some people seem to know how to get the job done. That's reason for optimism. Second, for all of the Beahs that are brought back, how many aren't? How much human potential is lost? It's estimated that there are 300,000 child warriors on the planet who are being molded (without too much trouble) into killing automatons. Apparently, it's a battle strategy that works very well. Coincidentally, I watched Gallipoli last night. The strategy, it seems, is nothing new. And children come in all ages.