Afghanistan Really

There are many reasons I’m grateful for my job. One of them is that my journey through the world allows me to meet people who shatter my stereotypes and simple preconceptions by sharing with me a piece of their reality.

The first time I thought about Afghanistan was at my best friend Dwight’s house when we were growing up in Jersey. His Dad had the epic VHS collection and we found Rambo 3 in the midst of it. John Rambo’s run through the Afghani mountains fighting off Russian choppers with a bow and arrow still registers as classic 80’s action cinema.

It wasn’t until years later that Afghanistan took on any kind of real meaning for me and even then it was limited. Following 9-11 the world renewed its gaze on the country, learning about post-Soviet power struggles, the reign of the Taliban, Islamic extremism and the dope industry. But even with the news plastering headlines and the regular video rolling in, Afghanistan has always seemed a place that existed only in movies and in the television. Even a reading a recent National Geographic article about archeology in Afghanistan didn’t help bring it all into focus in real terms.

With this perception I arrived into my class on Leadership, Values and Action at St. Joseph’s College in Bangalore. I didn’t expect an Indian Catholic school to be so diverse. I met students from all parts of India and visiting students from Nepal, Kenya, Cote D’Ivoire and, yes, Afghanistan.

For reasons on which I’m still unclear, the class of 22 had 5 Afghanis, each articulate and eager to be key players in class discussions. Given their proportion and their single-mindedness on the issue of Afghanistan, I couldn’t help but begin to live into their experience. We had tea together and talked frequently after class ended each day. They were more than eager to share their experience of their country with those who had their ears available to listen. Given my country’s involvement in Afghanistan for the past 20+ years, I thought to get ready to receive a new dose of information.

The stories they shared about the past 30 years of civil war were heartbreaking. No one has been unaffected by the ongoing feuds between ethnic groups, religious ideologies and foreign power plays. I heard about the sights that no eyes should witness unfolding in front of a 10 year old. The sounds –a caucophony of suffering – aired for the ears of children. I was shocked to hear the students give an overview of their life from 0 to 18 as a steady downward slope (blamed entirely on the demise of his country), only redeemed by the opportunity to study in India. While many felt the strong urge to return to their countries and play a part in re-establishing Afghanistan, I felt an underlying despair for the situation at home. Three of them wanted to return and become politicians, when asked why, the salary and the stability seemed more enticing than the prospect of civil service.

The main national concern for them as men and women in their young 20’s is unity. The divided factions throughout the country are prey to the power-thirsty and unscrupulous. Hopelessness plays a major role in these divides. People tend to cling to those who can give them the smallest glimpse of an advantage, whether it be an empty promise or not. Even as they pointed out that Afghanistan has increased its national security (though it still suffers from the lawless tribal regions on the Afghani-Pakistani border) they said the biggest brewing conflict is over language – with major language groups squaring off over national language rights. Casually, they said, “another reason to fight.”

When asked about the US involvement, the answers I got were unsurprisingly muted. The nation that received the biggest criticism was Pakistan (not surprising for Afghanis studying in India. Note: Anti-Pakistan sentiment has completely inflamed in India since the Mumbai attacks. Tension continues to escalate along the line of control in Kashmir).

Last Sunday I received an invitation to spend the evening with them at their flat. Our host’s wife spent near on 9 hours preparing the meal and the gorgeous spread stoked our taste buds and inspired our stomachs. Over delicious and heaping servings of chicken, mutton and rice we discussed life in Afghanistan, a country full of real people doing things that all people do. Going to work each morning. Dealing with family problems. Cooking dinner together. Singing songs. As their faces and voices became more a part of my daily, their stories came closer to my heart. Just young people looking at their past, considering the present and moving into the future.

I walked out of the dinner with friends.