It must have been a privilege that I spent post-2003 summers in Iraq with extreme heat without electricity. I didn’t know that even suffering is considered a privilege sometimes. I arrived in Washington DC this morning and was shocked to see how people reacted against the “heat wave” that strikes the northeast part of the United States.
As I was walking on my way to meet with one of my best friends, I noticed how people were absolutely scared as if real war has reached their country. Although I was wearing a short and a T-Shirt, I felt warm, but didn’t feel hot. Heat in Iraq with no electricity in the last four years taught me that this "heat" is nothing compared to what I am experiencing here. I kept walking and looked at the people who looked pale unable to endure this weather. I recalled how I slept on mattresses on the floor and sometimes on the floor itself to cool my body. I recalled how I went to work everyday and arrived there on time even though I didn’t get enough sleep. I recalled my niece, 8 months then, crying as she suffered the heat like millions of other babies in her age. I recalled my mother whom every time I call I hear the sound of the handy fan she is using due to the absence of electricity. I even recalled the ACs which we considered part of the antiques we collect and put in the house.
This very day, most Americans in the northeast are complaining about this heat which actually hasn’t reached 100 degrees whereas in Iraq it is about 120 degrees. Many people left comments on news websites that reported the “heat wave” complaining about how hard it is to endure this heat and how American local governments should have done more to help people reduce the heat by the time the local governments like the one here in DC did their bests to help people by installing cooling centers for them where people could sit in a cool place and drink something cold for free before they finish their way to work or wherever their destination is.
So, to my friends the Americans, please stop for a second as you walk complaining in the heat and remember that there is a country thousands of miles away was affected by a war that your administration started that resulted in a complete destruction to infrastructure, leaving people enduring 120 F degrees of heat with no electricity, no water and even no fuel to run the private generators. Remember them while you drink the cold bottled water and enjoy the AC’s cool air. Remember them as you read the articles about the “heat wave” on the internet. See how much temperature is in Baghdad at night and how much it will become during the day! Compare and see if it is worth it to complain about something millions of people wish to get at least 15 percent of what you have and what they already had before. Thinking about others is more constructive than complaining about something others lost since 2003. When we all think about each other, we wouldn’t fall in the trap of the wide gap which is increasing day by day in this crazy world.
baghdadtreasure@gmail.com
As I was walking on my way to meet with one of my best friends, I noticed how people were absolutely scared as if real war has reached their country. Although I was wearing a short and a T-Shirt, I felt warm, but didn’t feel hot. Heat in Iraq with no electricity in the last four years taught me that this "heat" is nothing compared to what I am experiencing here. I kept walking and looked at the people who looked pale unable to endure this weather. I recalled how I slept on mattresses on the floor and sometimes on the floor itself to cool my body. I recalled how I went to work everyday and arrived there on time even though I didn’t get enough sleep. I recalled my niece, 8 months then, crying as she suffered the heat like millions of other babies in her age. I recalled my mother whom every time I call I hear the sound of the handy fan she is using due to the absence of electricity. I even recalled the ACs which we considered part of the antiques we collect and put in the house.
This very day, most Americans in the northeast are complaining about this heat which actually hasn’t reached 100 degrees whereas in Iraq it is about 120 degrees. Many people left comments on news websites that reported the “heat wave” complaining about how hard it is to endure this heat and how American local governments should have done more to help people reduce the heat by the time the local governments like the one here in DC did their bests to help people by installing cooling centers for them where people could sit in a cool place and drink something cold for free before they finish their way to work or wherever their destination is.
So, to my friends the Americans, please stop for a second as you walk complaining in the heat and remember that there is a country thousands of miles away was affected by a war that your administration started that resulted in a complete destruction to infrastructure, leaving people enduring 120 F degrees of heat with no electricity, no water and even no fuel to run the private generators. Remember them while you drink the cold bottled water and enjoy the AC’s cool air. Remember them as you read the articles about the “heat wave” on the internet. See how much temperature is in Baghdad at night and how much it will become during the day! Compare and see if it is worth it to complain about something millions of people wish to get at least 15 percent of what you have and what they already had before. Thinking about others is more constructive than complaining about something others lost since 2003. When we all think about each other, we wouldn’t fall in the trap of the wide gap which is increasing day by day in this crazy world.
baghdadtreasure@gmail.com
