I just finished reading Reconciliation by Benazir Bhutto. She is a former Prime Minister of Pakistan who returned to her homeland in October, 2007. The images on the news that night showed the emotion of the huge crowds: the excitement and celebration of her arrival. The news also showed the assassination attempt on her life which killed almost 200 people. By December, Bhutto was killed in a successful assassination attempt. It was her death that compelled me to find out what was so important to her that she willingly put her life in danger.
It is Bhuttos belief in democracy for her homeland of Pakistan that led to her death. In essence Bhutto believes that poverty and hopelessness create an environment condusive to terrorism. She advocates that democracy, as well as education and economics will end terrorism. This solution isn't unique to the people of Pakistan. I think that many social problems can be alleviated by addressing education and economic disparity, in specific and tangible ways.
While Benazir Bhutto's message may have been about democracy. What really stood out for me was the importance of her parents. Her parents instilled the importance of education, fairness, equality, and hard work. Her parents modeled these values and ethics both through their expectations at home, as well as in their daily life. Her father was a former Prime Minister of Pakistan who was trying to bring about democratic change in his country. He was overthrown and executed. I believe in the importance of our actions, because our actions will always speak louder than words.
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