Jeff Knows About Darfur
This morning, I smiled knowing that the rally on Sunday made the headlines it needed to. Every morning, when I arrive at the hotel before most people I know are awake, I check in at security to get my keys for the day. These keys unlock all the ballroom doors, my office and storage area, the telephone room, and control the sound consoles around the building. Usually, Jeff is the security guard on duty at that time of day as he is the one who works the overnight shift.
Jeff is a friendly guy, almost always smiling, and eager to start up a conversation. He’s the type who will search for anything to talk about. To some this can seem annoying, but I appreciate people like this in a day in age when technology and time make us want everything quickly and without hassle. This morning, Jeff asked me how my weekend was, and I told him I had been out of town. I shared that I had gone to DC for a rally.
He then asked, “Yeah, I think I saw some of that on the news. Was that the one where George Clooney was speaking?”
“That’s the one,” I said.
“Yeah, that looked like a good rally. Was it for Rwanda?”
“No, Sudan.”
“Yeah, about people who are being killed?”
“That’s right. There’s a genocide going on in the western part of the country.”
“Yeah, it made me very concerned. I hope they can do something to stop that.”
Although fewer people descended upon the mall than I had anticipated, it is still clear that the day’s events were successful. For Jeff, whose world revolves around his daughter, fishing, beer, and work, genocide in Darfur is not something that crosses his mind regularly. But, because a few thousand people and some celebrities got together to show how it was important to them, this issue became important to others as well.
Jeff is a friendly guy, almost always smiling, and eager to start up a conversation. He’s the type who will search for anything to talk about. To some this can seem annoying, but I appreciate people like this in a day in age when technology and time make us want everything quickly and without hassle. This morning, Jeff asked me how my weekend was, and I told him I had been out of town. I shared that I had gone to DC for a rally.
He then asked, “Yeah, I think I saw some of that on the news. Was that the one where George Clooney was speaking?”
“That’s the one,” I said.
“Yeah, that looked like a good rally. Was it for Rwanda?”
“No, Sudan.”
“Yeah, about people who are being killed?”
“That’s right. There’s a genocide going on in the western part of the country.”
“Yeah, it made me very concerned. I hope they can do something to stop that.”
Although fewer people descended upon the mall than I had anticipated, it is still clear that the day’s events were successful. For Jeff, whose world revolves around his daughter, fishing, beer, and work, genocide in Darfur is not something that crosses his mind regularly. But, because a few thousand people and some celebrities got together to show how it was important to them, this issue became important to others as well.
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