Almost Paradise
My current weird schedule, I have opportunity to vary my experience a bit. Today I had a pleasant walk from the tent to the office, tucked away in a room that, I am told, was once a kitchen. The wind was light and cool, and the sky was just going into a deep blue, with copper on the fringes of the horizon.

Its ironic to consider, if you take Biblical geography seriously, that this place is as physcally close to Paradise as it gets. I am about equidistant from the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. Somewhere in the neighborhood, so the story goes, is Eden and the Tree of Knowledge. Babylon, where people first tried to reach the sky, and where the variety of languages are reported to have originated, is about a relaxed Sunday drive from here.

So near, and yet so far.

The word on the street is that the local populace is getting tired of the attacks. For the last few months, more Iraqi people have been killed in these blasts than Coalition forces. They are starting to prefer the new Dinar over the American Dollar, and some shops will not anything but the local currency. The local police and protection forces are growing. The first class of women graduated from the training program this month, and will take their place alongside the men in the struggle to return this land to peace.

So near, and yet so far.

The violence continues. Not far from where I am, in a place I have walked through on occasion, another explosive took another 20 lives, mostly innocent local bystanders. Rumors continue to be spread, and conversation over a shisha pipe or a coffee often carries more weight than statements through a microphone or a television camera. In the British sector, they would rather have the Americans. In the American sector, they would rather have the British. In the Italian sector, they would rather not have anyone. There is talk of civil war on the horizon. The Shia are preparing for the Sunni to attack. The Sunni are preparing for the Shia to attack.So near, and yet so far.

But is it really so different than anywhere else in the world? Sixteen were killed and twenty wounded here last night. But how many were killed in Los Angeles, or Cairo? People are upset that prices are rising here. But who isn't upset that prices are rising? Today, thousands protested here because they want free elections to be held earlier. Students protested in Haiti against the current government, and in Seattle thousands more protest the lack of affordable housing.

So, Iraq is close to Paradise, but still far away. And yet aren't we all? We have those who love and nurture us near at hand, and others cry out in pain, or injustice, or fear, or simple frustration. Just go out your front door and listen.

A turning point is approaching here, I believe. Ordinary people are preparing for change in this area, and it is change for the good. I'm not saying that the work here is over, but I am saying that I can see that the wind is changing, and things could be getting better here sooner, rather than later.

More to follow.