Sunday, July 22, 2007

Taliban Extends Deadline for Korean Hostages

http://goldsea.com/Asiagate/707/22hostages.html

The clock is ticking as many are anxiously hoping for an immediate resolution to be reached that would bring the 23 hostages safely back home to South Korea. It must be devastating for these individuals to be under such a high stress situation as their fate is in the hands of negotiators between the two opposing forces. To abduct innocent individuals and place their lives in jeopardy in an attempt to gain a military advantage (in this case: the release of Taliban prisoners and the removal of South Korean forces from the area) is inhumane in every manner.

It is difficult to empathize with these hostages: to understand exactly what they must be feeling to be isolated from the rest of the world due to the political tensions that are taking place with extremists perpetuating the violence in the Middle East. The unfortunate reality is that constant exposure to the media's portrayal of the 'War on Terror' has almost desensitized Americans in regards to the catastrophe that is taking place there. If we just stop for a second and realize that there really is a world beyond our own: it is not the most glamorous or heart-warming one, but it's there and it's a reality that so many innocent individuals have to experience each and every single day.

These innocent hostages.....what we may not even realize is that these individuals could be any person and to someone in South Korea and even abroad, they are meaningful and loved. A parent, sibling, cousin, best friend, neighbor, etc. to someone. They may not be our close acquaintances, but the fact that they are human beings who went to the highly volatile Middle East to volunteer their time and effort to helping those less fortunate shows a lot of heart and passion: characteristics that the world is in dire need of when we take a close look at the world around. Let us just hope that these individuals are safely returned to their homes in South Korea and that everything turns out for the best.

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