gas prices

With Egypt setting the trend, insurgents are making their move across oppressed nations.  In the news this week is Libya.

How did I find out?  I'm in a little bubble of medical school, and in my own little bubble, all I knew about was the increasing price of gas.  I didn't know that my fuel came from Libya, which she isn't shipping because she has a few things on her mind. 

Here's a little of what I learned today (quoting from a UNICEF press release): 

“Political turmoil and violence has escalated, forcing a huge new wave of women and children to flee for safety into Tunisia. But their sheer number is overwhelming relief efforts on the border, and Tunisian authorities are periodically closing off the border. Many children are now trapped on the Libyan side, without water, without shelter, many injured with no medical care.”

and

“Nearly 100,000 people have already fled the conflict, and conditions in refugee camps in Tunisia and Egypt are already dire.”

Here I am, wondering how and why I'm gonna fill my gas tank at 3.35$ per gallon.

Half-way around the world, they’re wondering if they will be lucky enough to be allowed through to safety- if this will be the day that the border guards will let people through.  They’re wondering who around them might be the "bad guys."  Some of them might not be too sure which side is good.  They might be wondering if their families are alive, if their homes are still standing, and if they’re gonna have the food and water to make it through another day. 

The issues surrounding the conflict are much more complex, however, one thing is clear: freedom is bought at a price. 

Not only at the price of gas and of revolutionaries, but also at the price of innocent men, women, and children huddled on the border.  

And we worry about the price of gasoline...

Author's note: I would like gas prices to go down.  I'm on a semi-strict budget, and I would like to be able to gallivant around Missouri and Illinois over my up-coming spring break.  But there are just some things that put such freedoms of mine in perspective.