Depressing..or Upsetting. Either Works.

"Farmers sell wives to pay debts in rural India"
http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/10/22/india.farmers.selling.wives/index.html

Once again, another depressing piece of information learned about the world through international news coverage. This time, I've learned that farmers in India are so burdened by the threats of starvation that they borrow money from powerful, rich lenders who later demand extreme, immediate, and absurd methods of repayment. The amount of debt so threatens the farmers that they often resort to selling their wives or even their own daughters. Once again, more atrocities committed against the severely impoverished and women. Will this madness ever stop? Judging by the world news, no. Why? Because apparently, some people will always be greedy, power-hoarding barbarians who manipulate and torture others in order to gain some superficial semblance of self-worth. Maybe I'd feel bad for them if I didn't have their victims drowning in the aftermath of selfishness and greed to distract me. Maybe.

Also, I'd like to say that if I were one of those farmers, I sure as hell hope I would fight with all my being for my wife and daughters. If I am the person I hope to be, I would fight until the death. I know it's unreasonable to ask or expect this of these unfortunate people, especially when I have never been in such a horrible situation myself, especially when they have the rest of their family to think about, especially when they probably lack the resources and education to do otherwise, but sometimes I wonder if a human being ever just knows that something or someone is worth dying for. Like I said, I don't expect this of these people, but sometimes you just have to wonder.