Dear Mr. or Mrs. President,

I do not understand how I was chosen to live where I do. I cannot give you a valid reason that justifies why I have a nice home and safe surroundings, or why someone else lives in absolute fear of what tomorrow holds for them. I cannot tell you why I have an entire ocean that separates me from horrors that I cannot begin to comprehend, yet others must accept them like a common neighbor. But somehow, I was put here. I have the opportunity of a voice. As of now, you are in a position where your voice is amplified and heard by many. It is imperative that you use it to promote a worthy message.

The Syrian refugee crisis has made itself a controversial issue in our nation. As a result of this conflict’s widespread nature, I’ve been enabled to make an observation that stretches from televised politicians to those who attend my community church. We are constantly forgetting that these complex problems are to be dealt with empathy. We need to remember that, in the end, we are all human. We understand each other a lot more than we give ourselves credit for, and borders have no power to take that away. Ask yourself what would happen if those borders faded from existence.

One day we wake up and there's nothing but land and people.

Our broad stripes and bright stars are stripped away.

We are left naked for the world to see.

Would everything be worth it?

Would the 12.5 million women, men, children

who are desperately trying to find someway to live

receive a helping hand?

I grew up thinking that the world was whole

and so were the people that belonged to it.

I don't know when it was decided that it was divided.

We saw this big, blue sphere with our open eyes and it terrified us.

We quickly looked away because

we felt so small.

And now we are so focused on limiting, and telling people who they are

or who they are not.

We want so badly to be seen as a global power.

We forget the only global power we truly have is each other.

If we looked past our pride, we could find our ourselves,

We could imagine what it would be like to live a moment in their world.

For a moment, it’s us who’s standing in the midst of a cataclysmic attack.

It's our child who is across the world.

Everything he knows has collapsed around him in a matter of five minutes.

His lungs harbor dust from debris that had nothing to do with him.

Somebody thought that whatever valiant cause they pursued

was worth more than his beating heart.

Though he only reaches four feet,

He understands that tall concept.

Blood blinds one eye,

while the other drowns in tears

that he can't seem to let fall.

He remains silent.

What is he to say?

Will he question the six years he has to wait to be considered for asylum,

or that fact that his mother is missing?

I’m not a naive person. I understand that a crisis is just that and cannot be solved overnight. But our country is in desperate need of an attitude adjustment. Empathy is always within reach. I can see it in my mother’s smile. I can see it in the hallways of my school. I just hope to see it in our nation.

Sincerely,

Grasyn Turpin

Works Cited

By Jie Zong and Jeanne Batalova. "Refugees and Asylees in the United

Connor, Phillip, and Jens Manuel Krogstad. "About Six-in-ten Syrians Are Now Displaced from

Their Homes." Pew Research Center RSS. N.p., 2016. Web. 30 Sept. 2016.

States."Migrationpolicy.org. N.p., 2016. Web. 30 Sept. 2016.

Syrian Refugee Crisis. Digital image. Staticflickr. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Oct. 2016.