Poverty is not an accident

The problem of Ethiopia must be solved by Ethiopians and the beginning of that solution is for Ethiopians to see what they have in common rather than how they differ. In this, Ethiopians are no different than any other country who has struggled to overcome deep divisions. 

Such divisions usually start following some negative actions or worse; when evil acts are committed against others; sometimes by both “sides.” To resolve these deeply held offenses, at some point we must admit it to ourselves and others our own part so we can reconcile and move forward. Fair systems of justice can contribute to this process, but in Ethiopia such justice does not exist and even if it did, it is often a separate process. 

Reconciliation between those of us who are alienated from each other must begin from within; starting with a moral inventory and subsequent transformation if convicted of wrong or through forgiveness if holding bitterness towards others. People who can “eat together” at the same table or in the case of Ethiopia eating from the same tray have a better chance of resolving their differences.

Ethiopia is a country of vast differences in people; however, each of us has beauty to share like the different wild flowers, plants and grasses of a field, with their distinct colors, shapes and sizes. To have a healthy Ethiopia, we must have healthy individuals, communities and ethnicity that add to the whole. As people begin to respect and value each other as equal citizens, it can be passed on from an individual to a family to a neighborhood to a region and to a nation.