This is a picture taken by Sabastiao Salgado. Salgado travelled through about thirty different countries taking pictures to show a stark reality that is oblivious to many Americans and most of the world. In his book Migrations, from which this picture is taken, he writes and depicts the life of refugees. This particular picture is of a road used by those fleeing from the Rwanda genocide. Hutu extremists in the early 90's swept up the support of other Hutus in the country to entirely exterminate Tutsi tribe members. Friends became enemies, and neighbors became rivals as the both male and female, young and old Tutsi members were killed.  It is estimated that between 500,000 to 1,000,000 were murdered in less than a year. As you can see, many along side the road did not make it.

It's important to realize what has gone and what is going on in the world around us. The issues seem so distanced and removed from our reality that it can be hard to truly understand the situation and be motivated to action. Often we are weighed down by the idea that being touched by these stories requires radical changes in our behavior. Just helping others become aware is a positive step forward.  Furthermore, these stories can make a tremendous amount of difference in our own lives. Keeping up with society's endless supply of standards and expectations of what we should look like and who we should be, fades in importance as we reflect on the lives of those who have endured so much. Peeling off this superficial layer opens our eyes to what is really essential to our happiness, and allows us to live our lives more fully.

Work cited:
Salgado, Sebastiao. Photograph. Migrations: Humanity in Transition. Aperture. New York, 2000. 189
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rwandan_Genocide