Assignment 3- Jasir Rahman- The Troubles

The summer going into my sophomore year my family went to Ireland and Scotland.  While in Ireland, we witnessed firsthand the literal divisiveness of "the Troubles," a political and religious conflict in Northern Ireland.  On the outskirts of the capital city of Belfast, the remnants of the conflict were still there.  Catholic and Protestant neighborhoods were separated by iron fences and gates, graffiti-covered walls demonstrated literal and political separation.

While I was aghast at this snapshot of such a divisive time in recent history, I thought of our home in the West, which seems to be going down the same path.  Such division is quite evident in our own lives and calls to violence by people of all backgrounds mirrors that of the past.  While the historical precedent set by the generations of Catholics and Protestants divided by their religious choices is not present today, it would seem as though the same fervor and radical actions are being undertaken. 

Perhaps this is a bit of hyperbole on my part, but nobody realizes they are in such a turbulent period of history until the impacts have already been realized.  We ought to learn from our history and come together as a nation of Americans, not divided by class, color, creed, or party.  That is the lesson I learned this summer while in Belfast.