know the story.

To manifest change, within the world as in ourselves, requires insight.  With it, we know the most efficient fulcrums on which to place our levers.

We inhabit a challenging age.  In many ways, we know more about the world than ever before.  About distant places, about the human body, the versions of life that teem around deep sea vents.  Information abounds, billions of pages, enough to stack to the moon.  I’m not sure understanding keeps up the blistering pace.

The unit of human understanding is the story.  The more complex it is, the more information available, the greater the need to distill it to its elements.   Some of you may have read my book, and through it, understand something of Sudan.  There is more to learn.  I encourage you to try.  Here are a couple places to get started.

Web:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abyei

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Sudan

Print:

Emma’s War - Deborah Scroggins
The Translator – Daoud Hari

The Root Causes of Sudan’s Civil Wars – Douglas Hamilton Johnson
A History of Modern Sudan – Robert O. Collins

more: http://www.aaupnet.org/news/bfu/sudan/list.html

There is a second part to knowing the story beyond knowing where you’re from: knowing where you’re at.

If you are interested in following it, sign up for  news alerts for:   “Abyei Sudan” “Sudan”

The caveats for wikipedia, new sources, and books apply.   Be skeptical.  None are the final arbiters of the truth.  That job, unfortunately, is yours.  With time and famliarity, however, it becomes easier to recognize.