Day 10: touring Belfast

Touring Belfast I was able to get a better grasp on the turmoil that its residents live in each day.   Standing outside on the different sides I had a helicopter hovering above keeping an eye out for signs of trouble.

The two sides are distinct one for their loyalty to the UK and the protestant religion and the other deeply rooted in Ireland independence and the catholic religion. 

Hearing the stories and walking around I felt as if there was a clam before the unknown.  Standing at the Peace Wall (the wall that separates the Catholics and Protestants) we came across the gates that are shut each night to segregate the two sides.

The Oranges (Protestants) and Greens (Catholics) fly their flags proudly.  There have been ideas proposed to segregate a community that no longer wants to be governed.  The solution was seen as putting up a wall around the community as a physical barrier from the rest of the world, essentially isolating them from all other cultures and governments.   Now that I see this more or less in practice I know it is not a joke but a really unfortunate way to treat a community of indivduals.  It might erase some immediate conflict for the government but it can create a dangerous and undesirable place for individuals to live in.

It was eye opening because as a westerner we feel safe for the most part and I think we are lucky to have the opportunity to spend our nights without opposition looming overhead. 

I saw the next generation kicking the ball around the park with these murals of their community’s martyrs as background to their game. Knowing that some of them have to potential to likely continue the trend of their fathers before them is a troubling thought but, there is a chance for peace for Ireland and other countries that suffer from these kinds of traditions. 

I do not know the answer but I do know after talking to the people of Belfast that it will not happen over night.  Most likely the solution lies in the future generation.  

I hope that when I come back I will be able to see the changes in this region.  The town center is alive with energy and the people that I have meet have been extremely nice and so helpful in telling me their stories. 

It’s important to remember that Northern Ireland is more than individuals separated by two different sides.  These are people trying to live their daily life and advance in the world; if we choose to ignore that and focus on their past than we are not being very good leaders  who are effecting positive change on this world.