“There may be as many as 300,000 child soldiers, on drugs and caring AK-47s, in more than fifty conflicts around the world.” Ishmael Beah used to be one of them. He is one of the first to tell his story. This young boy who is now a man, spent three years of his life in the African army. He became an orphan and watched his parents get murdered. At age thirteen he was abducted and forced to join the army. Three years he killed more people than he can count, used drugs and alcohol and it wasn’t just the light stuff. At age seventeen he fled from the African army and came to New York City. He was then put into foster care and weighted to become someone’s son.

The reason for me telling you this is not to focus on the negative. Instead, look at the challenges and obstacles that he has had to overcome. You know it’s selfish to think that we have it bad and our lives can’t get any worse, we say that we are in a depression. No money, gas prices go up and banks close but if you really look at it we’re still living large. Food on the table, clothes on our backs nice cars and even money. Compared to Africa who has not nearly enough food to feed their families, clean water to drink and only a few have cars and not the nice ones.

So if you think you have it bad, just remember that there are other people in other countries that have it worse.

Jesse S