A video clip of a little boy dancing has been circulating on social media over the past few days. It is a little Afghan boy dancing a joyful dance after having received a prosthetic leg. It certainly brings a smile to the face, but the video is also sobering in the extreme… because of what it represents.
The setting appears to be that of a hospital and there is a little boy dancing round and round to the sound of music and claps. He is happy because he has just been fitted with a prosthetic leg. He had earlier lost his leg in a landmine.
The joy of the little boy communicates itself to others. Losing a limb would mean unimaginable pain and it had to have been harrowing for him to learn to manage without one leg. Now that he has a prosthetic leg, he seems to have forgotten his pain and trauma!
Living in with unrest on a daily basis, contending with life-threatening situations and facing the possibility of a landmine or other weapon explosion at any time is something most of us cannot imagine. Yet this little boy is likely to have seen little else most of his short life. He has learned to be happy and content against tremendous odds.
The little boy’s smile is infectious; many commentators felt that it brightened up their entire day. However, it also brought home the terrible dangers posed by landmines; the heart-rending thought that so many kids live in fear of a landmine claiming lives or limbs.
Afghanistan has been a strife-torn country for many years now. It is a testament to the reliance of the people there that they continue to live their lives with any positivity they can muster.
This little boy’s spirit teaches us that things are never as bad as they seem. Perhaps we can learn from him that there is a way out even when things seem hopeless.
This little boy seems to embody the hope that others have for their strife-ridden land. They have hope that others in the country too will have the chance to dance again, to live a normal life without fear and unrest.
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