Corsica

I arrived in Corsica with Nicholas and Christophe two days ago and it is a place which I love especially in Spring and Fall. The landscape is very rugged, the wind can be very strong and the sea can change from a scintillating lake to a battering sea in a couple of hours. From my house, I can see the Lavezzi islands, which have been the scene of many shipwrecks, including the "Semillante" which crashed on the rocks in the straight of Bonifacio during a terrible storm while on her way to Crimea in 1855. It is still to this date the most deadly naval disaster in France with the loss of all 693 men on board.This is such a strong scenery that it always leads me to some reflections on my life. 


I have been asked quite a lot by very sceptical people, "Why do you undertake this challenge? These children are not our problem. You won't be able to change anything!".
Well let me answer like this: "What if I would be one of those children. I would have seen my village been destroyed, some members of my family killed, some others raped. What would be my future? How would I see it? Probably I would see the only way to a secure future to become a child soldier, or a drug trafficker. Of course I would be able to learn. But instead of learning how to read and write, I would learn to shoot and harm. It would be my only way out of being a constant victim".


I know that it is a cliche, but I always try to put myself in their shoes, and think that if I would come into a refugee camp, I would be very happy that someone somewhere has not forgotten me and wants me to be a peaceful and successful human being by sponsoring my education and allowing me to develop my self confidence and team building skills through games. Then I could go back to my village and inspire more children to do the same.


The same people ask me: "How do you know that you will succeed in changing their lives, that you are not wasting your energy and money on an hopeless cause?". 
Well I do not know for sure. But if I would only do things when I am 100% sure of the outcome, I would not have done much. I would not have married, not have had children, I would never have engaged in the emotional side of my life, and , of course, I would never have even thought of this challenge. I would be a super rational human being living in a super rational world, and it would be a nightmare! If everybody thought like those super rational people, there would have been no Mother Teresa, no Nelson Mendela, no Charitable Trusts, no WI and it would be really horrible.
Call me an optimist or an idealist, I don't care. I am happy to be doing what I do. I feel that being a citizen of the world, travelling a lot, I have a global responsibility.


I also strongly believe that being more fortunate than others, it is my duty to help them, not a prerogative. I must never forget that luck and fate put me where I am. I could very well have been born a disadvantaged child but I have not been and I must somehow be grateful for this, and my way of giving back is by helping the weak of this world (children and animals) with money and energy. I am also trying (and think that I have been successful) to give my children the same sense of responsibility.