Lifejacket Prjoject

For our life jacket, we chose to contrast flowers, an international symbol of peace, with a bloodstain, which immediately brings to mind violence. Some refugees are not even able to enjoy the comforts we think nothing of, such as readily available food and water. We chose to use fake flowers not only for the longevity of the flowers, but also to hint at our idea of peace being a fragile and fake one, for we are not all at peace. Our use of paint for the bloodstain was in part due to the idea of sometimes “painting over” what we refuse to accept. Though we may be aware of the ongoing struggles of the Refugees, sometimes we choose to simply ignore, or even cover up, these very real, very inconvenient to us, very shocking truths. We also chose to include butterflies flying towards the flowers in order to represent how we would rather choose the fake truth rather than face the disturbing truth. Our chosen picture, one of Vietnam War Protests, remains emblematic today.

We are all guilty, none is innocent. To ignore is to condemn, to act is to take a stance and proclaim “You are not alone. We are here, we can, and will help, as humans, regardless of our differences, because you are in need.” We realized that we were at the age where we could choose to either ignore, or to take part in this struggle. We could make a contribution. We could help. We could say to them, “You are not alone.” We could have an impact. Improve a situation. Though we can only speak for ourselves, we can say, without doubt, that we feel we now understand, even if it is only marginally, the refugees better. By placing oneself in their shoes through one’s imagination, one can reach a better understanding of the refugees and their struggles. For to ignore one in need is a greater evil than most we know of. To refuse to act when pleaded is not what we are taught. To ignore, is to condemn.