Days

Sometimes, it feels as if life is flashing by. I saw a picture on Facebook around last week or so, and it said something about how time seems to go by faster as we get older, because it's less of our life. a year to a one year old is their entire life, but to a 40 year old it's only 1/40th of their life.

That made so much sense to me that it was one of those "Mind blown" moments. It was crazy.

Then this week with the attacks in Paris, Beirut, and Baghdad, not to mention the natural disasters Japan and Mexico have suffered it seems like the whole world has gone crazy.

That also doesn't really seem so unusual in these times though. In fact, for my entire life the U.S.A. has been involved in some sort of conflict.

From 1994 we've had issues with Iraq. It was a no-fly zone from '91-'03.
We also intervened in the Somalia Civil War, Haiti, and the Bosnian War. Most of those were just '94-'95 though.

1996 was Operation Desert Strike against Iraq.

1998 The US and UK launched Operation Desert Fox against, you guessed it, Iraq.

From 2001-2014 We warred with/in Afghanistan.

On September 11, 2001 I was seven years old, and in second grade. I don't think I really knew that something so terrible had happened until after school got out. But that was not a good day in American history, and it pretty much sparked a whole lot of unhappiness. In fact it is my belief that a lot of our issues with immigrants, and travelers can be traced to this day. Before we were perfectly happy to accept and allow anyone to come to the U.S.A., but now well. We are a little more freaked out and careful.

In 2003 Al Queda, in Iraq. I don't really need to say anymore about that, because let's face it, that is one country the US will never fully leave. Even though we have supposedly withdrawn all troops from Iraq (end of 2011, we brought most of the troops home) we still keep sending some back, the only difference is that they aren't staying there. But the creation of Al Queda was what kept us in Iraq for so long.

2004-Present day we've been in Pakistan, as part of the "War on Terror".

2009-Present day we've been fighting Operation Ocean Shield, which is taking place in the Indian Ocean.

2011 saw the US involved in the Libyan Civil War. This was very brief.

And finally since 2014 we've had the War with ISIL, or ISIS, or even DAESH, and they call themselves the Islamic State, however you've seen it, and they are the ones who are responsible for the attack on Paris, and the suicide bombings in both Beirut and Baghdad.

What we as a country must remember is that just because some Muslims are bad, doesn't mean they all are. We must base our views, not on the whole, but on the individual.

As one of my Muslim friends posted " I would just like to remind everyone that ISIS or Daesh as we call them, are not related to anything that has to do with Islam. They are not an Islamic State since they do not follow what Allah or our beloved prophet Mohammed-peace be upon him-taught us."

She included a picture of what Mohammed's commands in Wars was. Which was definitely not how ISIL was/is operating. I think it is safe to say that they aren't Muslim. So we for sure should not paint true Muslims with the same hatred/anger/disgust that we apply to Daesh.

Just some food for thought.

-Jacq