First impressions are everlasting; how will we be remembered in years to come?

The phenomenal refugee crisis that we have witnessed in recent months is being named “the biggest humanitarian crisis since World War II”. It’s so difficult for us to relate to this because we are so far removed and the news coverage of worldwide issues by our national news stations is appalling. To make things worse, ISIS are taking full advantage of the refugee crisis to instil fear in the hearts of each and every person. Deeper than that we have no real insight into the basis of the decisions made by world leaders in response to this global crisis. Do we really live in democracy when most of the decisions made by the ‘representatives of the people’ are made behind closed doors and their intentions are not made clear to the public? The threat of ISIS has been evident for a long time and the world leaders had been forewarned of the imminent danger that they faced if they continued to ignore the issue. So why was nothing done? Did they feel that they needed to be provoked in order to take action? The Paris attacks and the bombing of the Russian plane provoked them enough to begin bombing innocent people. So will it resolve the issue? I sincerely doubt it and thankfully, many share this opinion but we remain powerless. However, I would like to focus on how these issues affect the Emerald Isle and the struggles we face in the near future.

We have witnessed millions of victims of a war-torn country fleeing their homes in search of safety.

Aylan Kurdi, three years old

Remember this? This is a photograph that shocked the world. This is a photograph that brought tears to the eyes of millions sitting comfortably in front of their technology-ridden homes. This is a photograph that most have already forgotten. Yet this photo is unforgettable, it should be engraved to your brain until death does you part, it should haunt you. Because, sadly, this is only one boy out of thousands who died trying to escape a country run into ruins by a gruelling  dictatorship that could measure up to with Hitler’s regime. Alas, we know more about the idiotic ravings of Trump and his ridiculous attention-grabbing proclamations. It’s devastating to think how desperate these people would be to risk their own lives and the lives of their children to escape their homeland. Could you imagine that it is a decision that you would make on the gamble that they could possibly survive the treacherous journey and have a better life in Europe? After four years of bombings and bloodshed at the hands of their president, it was a decision fuelled by fear, terror, warfare and poverty. That is not a choice.

From Ireland’s perspective, we are obliged to take some form of action as a member of the European Union and meanwhile, remain a ‘neutral’ country in the wake of the war against the terrorism. As humans capable of compassion and sympathy, this reasoning for our actions is shameful. When this is written in History, would we like it to say that we did what was demanded of us? And individually, when you are sitting around your grandchildren telling them stories about, what could be, World War III, what would you like to say you’ve done; Nothing? You could tell them that you turned your back to the hard-hitting headline stories because they were too grim for you and it was nothing to do with us in the first place. Or you could say that you stood up for humanity and did something to contribute. A contribution does not mean that you have to pack your bags to volunteer in refugee camps. So, what can we do here at home?

·       *  Learning about what is happening and what has happened to instigate this war could be enough.
      *  Donating your unwanted items to organizations carrying them to refugee camps would be so significant to their lives. Within ‘The Jungle’ in Calais, the biggest refugee camp to date, some people have to travel 14km every day to their nearest collection point. Your unused bicycles could change their world.
*    *  Raising money to help the volunteers that are dedicating their time and energy  to these people would be invaluable to their plight to help these refugees survive.
*  Making a donation to organisations like the Calais kitchens in the refugee camp or the Irish Refugee Council
*  If you know that refugees will be arriving in an area near you, ask what you can do to help and try to help people see it as a necessity rather than a burden. Banksy has done a painting aimed to combat this issue on a bridge near the Calais refugee camp. Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple, is the son of a Syrian migrant. These people are all categorised as refugees, but they are much more than that. They're doctors, teachers, engineers, architects, artists, labourers who have been forced to flee their home because of forces out of their control.

The artwork is featured alongside the camps in Calais, France.

The next difficulty we face here at home is the arrival of the refugees and where they will be housed. Obviously, Ireland faces many internal issues as it stands and this is another difficult expense at the hands of our exceptionally well-paid politicians. We must be rational enough to understand that sacrifices must be made to accommodate them. Then we must look past our narcissistic complaints and remember what lengths these people have gone to in order to arrive on Irish soil. They have lost their homes, their loved ones and their whole world to a merciless dictator and a group of terrorists who deface their religion in the name of evil. Shall we welcome them to a safe haven or a hostile hell? When we are greeted with the faces of these innocent people, will we treat them as we were treated when we fled our homes to America, Australia, Canada and England during more difficult times in Ireland? “No Irish allowed” is a phrase that still echoes in the hearts of the Irish people and it is something that we will probably never forget. Therefore, I hope that we give them a first impression that we can be proud of. I hope that Syrians will return to a peaceful country and speak of the Irish as warm, welcoming people who went above and beyond to help in their time of need. I hope we live up to our good natured reputation and do our country proud, despite our own predicaments. My faith in humanity rests on the arrival of these poor souls, lets our country proud.  

This is simply my opinion and although I’m not an expert, I’ve been trying my best to keep up with what has been happening. If reading this does nothing, I hope it spurs some curiosity. Here are some links that I found really interesting and informative:

The Assad Regime:

http://i100.independent.co.uk/article/how-do-we-know-bashar-alassads-regime-is-torturing-people-because-of-caesar-and-thousands-of-his-pictures--Zy1MZrveDg

Why are the refugees here?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/the-syria-campaign/what-syrian-refugees-in-europe-want_b_8692520.html

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/dec/09/what-caused-the-refugee-crisis-google

Organisations involved in aiding refugees

http://www.irishrefugeecouncil.ie/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1516831491976726/
http://care4calais.org/
https://www.facebook.com/laubergedesmigrantsinternational/

Banksy's contribution to the 'Jungle'
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-35076976

If you've seen or read anything of interest, send it this way. Thanks for reading!

Do you remember last weekend?

Alcohol is the devil. We all know that because we have all suffered through hell due to it's damning characteristics. So why do we knowingly put ourselves in these positions? Why do we drink ourselves to absolute stupidity, partake in things that we would never do in a sober state of mind and ultimately afflict ourselves with 'the fear'? Some moronic answers may be; "It's some craic!", "What else is there to do on a Saturday night?" or "I needed a drink after that week in my mind-numbingly boring job". I call these answers 'moronic' because these excuses suffice wanting to get your freak on and letting off a bit of steam but do they excuse drinking so heavily that you do things that you will regret in the morning? NO. My eyes were opened while living in Spain and seeing their attitude towards alcohol made me question our drinking in Ireland. I think that we need to realise the reality of how toxic our drinking is and how it can affect our lives in so many aspects.

Inevitably, the first point that has to be made is the HUGE problem with alcoholism in Ireland. I have yet to meet an Irish family that doesn't have an alcoholic amidst them. Sometimes this 'trouble-maker' is largely ignored and allowed to live their destructive life in solitude as long as they stay out of everyone's hair. But we all know that's not true, their drinking lifestyle always affects someone, be it their mother, their sister, their child....there is always an unfortunate soul who tries to help them when they're in trouble and who predominately tries to cover up their drinking. These people are the Enablers. Controversial as it may be, these people are not helping themselves or their loved one in any way and they often step in to save the day when the alcoholic should be left in their misery to hit rock bottom and realise the error of their ways. It's absolutely heartbreaking to watch someone you love slowly killing themselves and worst of all, the collateral damage that they cause to everyone around them.But, alas, they will never change for us so, why bother drowning with them? People who drink too much aren't simply party people. No, they are drowning their unresolved issues in pool full of liquor. They are using it to numb their thoughts or emotions and it is the self-absorbed nature of the disease that permits they to turn a blind eye to the havoc they are causing. Our desperate need to keep up appearances is doing us no favours and I think Ireland should be ready to lift the carpet and sweep out the demons that lay beneath.

I want to draw from the point that there is, in fact, a reason as to why people become alcoholics. If you truly know a drinker, maybe you know what dirty skeletons lie in their closet and understand their problems. We may pity them for their troubled past but do we allow it dismiss their selfish lifestyle? In my opinion, there are few souls on this earth who can say they've never had anything bad happen to them. The difference is that the rest of us learn to cope with them or maybe, we see them manifest in other ways in our life such as our relationships, our love-lives or career. Issues essentially become fears so they can hold you back in many different ways in life. So then we all have problems? Yes. So if you are using alcohol as a way of coping with your problems, you are walking down a very slippery slope my friend. You may not even realise that you're doing it in the midst of the madness which is the most dangerous part of it all. Fortunately for some, hindsight may grant you some revelation as to why that weekend on the tear was a bigger fiasco then the rest. Were you feeling bad before you went drinking? I don't know about men but women are such elaborately emotional creatures that drinking when you feel angry or sad is usually disastrous. My point is that if you're sad about something, maybe you should reconsider going out and leaving your inhibitions at home. Instead, just stay on the couch, buy a disgusting amount of chocolate and nibbles and have a depression session with Adele. Or maybe invite a friend over, that'd probably be a better idea.

I absolutely, 100% love going out, socialising, drinking....I love it all. What I hate about myself is when I do things that I know I will regret in the morning and are completely out of character for me. Have you ever woken up and thought "Why did I say that? That was a complete, utter lie."? Many a time, I've blurted out things that have been real in a sober state of mind which I can get over because at least it's true. But when I say things that aren't even true?? What is that about? Or have you ever got off with someone that you find utterly vile on a normal day? The next day, you're drowning in regret, shame and worry questioning "What on earth possessed you to do something like that?" I don't really know why we do these foolish things but we all know that we only do things like that when we are mindlessly drunk so how about we all lay off the Jagerbombs just a tad and be a little more concious of how much we are drinking while we're out. Unfortunately, there are nights when we can't explain how we've got so hammered but I detest hearing "My drink was spiked". I would like a blood test to prove that because I know you only ate a few Taytos before you went out and I saw you drinking that 'Slippery Nipple'. You may kindly stop pointing fingers and please refrain from faulting your friend's attention to your uber-illogical tomfoolery.

All these points lead us to the path of understanding as to how disgusting our drink culture is. We can't seem to go out and have a few drinks while socialising with our friends. We all purposefully go out to get drunk. This was the biggest difference I noticed between Spain and Ireland. The Spaniards go out for hours on end and arrive home in that lovely tipsy, merry state. They don't understand what 'the fear' is because they have never been that hungover. They drink so slowly that their glass is half full but it's horribly watery because the ice has melted while they've been nursing it. It's a norm to have a drink at any time of the day, including the morning. I wanted to projectile when I saw a man crack open a can of ice cold Cruzcampo at 8 am before heading off to work, but they don't see it as we do. They can drink one 330ml can and leave it at that. Could anybody do that in Ireland? They would drink a glass of wine with their meal while we easily drink the whole bottle, if not two. They drink the glass of beer/wine/gin/whiskey to enjoy the taste while relaxing with friends and family whereas we don't even realise what it tastes like as we slug it back our throat as fast as humanly possible. Have we normalised alcoholism so much that we are all arriving in drunken oblivion every weekend, unaware of the repercussions? All I know is that this isn't normal, we've just made it normal. Unfortunately our own government has proved that no matter what the cost, we'll drink anyway.