You’re 26 years old, and your home is 2,200 miles away. You’ve spent the last 9.5 years of your life in a country that’s not yours, and when you left home, half your relatives had already done so. You’re a stranger to your family and your people. You can’t count the times you’ve cried yourself to sleep in desperation, anger, fear and frustration for your country, for your friends and for yourself.
This, simply put, is my life. I am Colombian, and my country has been in civil war for 52 years. That is until last Wednesday, when a peace agreement was reached. The war that asphyxiated my people finally ended when such an important peace was discovered.
As at least 13th generation Colombian, my generation is very different from my parents’ generation and those before it. I often joke that my parents’ generation suffers post-traumatic stress disorder. They had a beautiful infancy, but then, the whole Colombian society collapsed into chaos and war, corruption and violence. The faith they had in life and the trust they had in destiny turned against them and took away their dreams.
My own father is insecure and emotionally disturbed because he saw how his future became uncertain, yet he could not do anything about it. He is, in general, pessimistic, scared and frustrated. Despite being a pious Catholic, he has no real faith in destiny and lives in fear, always afraid he won’t attain happiness, and, when he does find himself in a happy place, he can’t believe happiness will last.
However, my Colombian generation is not afraid or frustrated. Personally, I’m overall astray and somewhat deranged. It’s not that I don’t get scared, I just don’t respect fear. I don’t respect anything that society tries to impose on me because I hate the system. A system that perpetuates a war and destroys lives deserves no loyalty. I don’t hide behind others, but instead question everything. I don’t hold back, and I certainly don’t concede. I’m stubborn and, to some extent, spoiled.
Why? Because, unlike my father, I got screwed over before I was even born. I am full of anger and rage, and I don’t respect the society that brought me into life. I hate the putrid, war-torn state that raised me. I hate that it hurts the weak, the poor, the lonely and the vulnerable. I am angry and sad and I want the world to change. I want peace, I do.
And then on the night of Aug. 24, a final peace accord between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces put an end to a war that began 52 years ago and has killed perhaps 220,000 people and displaced 7 million more.
I was in the kitchen when I heard and I suddenly felt a strong current taking over every cell in my body. I began to laugh and cry uncontrollably all at the same time. I cried, like so many times before, but this time it was different: I was crying out of happiness. I wish everyone could feel that joy.
Now, the peace deal is not a perfect agreement, and there are contentious points over which Colombian citizens will vote in October of this year, but I believe the deal deserves our endorsement because Colombia and my people deserve peace.
It is an interesting time in world politics for Colombian citizens to speak up and stand for mercy and tolerance and forgiveness. This year we have seen the British vote out of jealousy, doubt and ignorance for the Brexit. Also, I have found myself totally depressed, infuriated and disappointed by the state of the American presidential race. It is simply ridiculous and just plain sad to see how so many people want to either instigate or feel fear and hatred so that they can say they are survivors of a “pretend war.” They know nothing about fear and hatred and actual misery and what war does to a society.
Suddenly, Colombians have a chance to end one of the world’s longest-running conflicts. This October, all Colombians residing abroad who register the citizen ID’s in the consulate will be able to vote alongside their friends and family still at home. I cannot wait to support the peace agreement; such an incredible opportunity cannot be given away. Maybe America and Europe, the “developed” nations, can learn a thing or two about the value of compassion when it comes to community building. Let’s all stand for peace, hope and forgiveness as Colombia has just done.
