Give me a truly civilized society.

Not sure that my African friends in Italy think of life as pleasurable. More likely, perilous. But I’m hoping that in 10 years, they look back on this period in their young lives (they’re in their mid-20s) as adventurous times. Full of learning experiences. That helped them find their niche in the world. As happy and prospering human beings. These are hard times for them. Barely scrapping by. As street peddlers. Having come to Italy, in many instances, from Libya. Where they were better off than in their native countries of Nigeria and Ghana. That is, until Libya became enmeshed in a civil war. So they fled to Italy. As refugees. Wow! They have stories to tell. About survival. About living hand to mouth. But along the way, they’ve managed to learn skills. As computer whizzes. As trainee in veterinary medicine. In linguistics. Speaking several languages. English. Italian. Arabic. I’d like to see them end up maybe in America. In decent jobs. Earning decent wages. Raising families. Pursuing life the way it should be lived. Happy. Secure. Not rich. Not poor. But with the basic necessities. What I call the good life. I’m a dreamer. Maybe a Pollyanna. Because I think it’s all possible. In a restructured world. If only we can narrow the gap between the rich and the poor. Yes, a building of an ever-expanding middle class. All over the world. A truly civilized society. That’s all I want. –Jim Broede