An Ordinary Man - Essay

We are all ordinary people on the inside. Some, have greater achievements than others, and will be remembered far beyond their years of life. Then, there are those who will be recognized only by the grave markers they lie beneath in the earth. Paul, an ordinary man by the world’s standards, rose above the rest when his country was in dire need of a man like him. Many people would not have been brave enough to do what Paul did for all of the people he kept safe in his hotel in Rwanda. We can even ask ourselves if in time of conflict and struggle would we be able to stand up to do what not only is morally correct, but what we all know is necessary. Most people will probably never experience anything quite like Paul did in his lifetime. The reason for that being that most of us live in a country that is generally safe from an event of destruction such as genocide. Although some events have taken a strike at our sense of security, for the most part we would consider ourselves safe. Paul and the people of Rwanda did not always have that security in their lives. One cannot imagine the fear everyone must have had of each other, even though they all belonged to the same society of Rwanda. Part of the reason why I believe it is so difficult to comprehend what Paul did is because we have never been faced with a situation like this. It is so sad that others deal with this type of conflict, while we live in a relatively peaceful environment. Our country, and every other country in this world that just sat around watching this happen without intervention should be ashamed of the wreckage that occurred in Rwanda. Paul made a difference with what little resources he had. The world should all strive to be a little more like Paul, utilizing our resources any way we can to help one another. Why is it that our world feels labeling people is okay? Paul is considered an ordinary man by the world’s standards, but he did much more than ordinary things. I believe if we did not place