It’s easy to become desensitised to just causes, especially when they receive widespread coverage.
As soon as a heartbreaking subject or a tragic event goes ‘mainstream’, there’s a certain level of cynicism that sets in. And it’s not always unjustified.
Quite often there’s a sense that people and organisations are merely ‘jumping on the bandwagon’ to publicly show how caring they are, whereas in fact the sentiment is hollow.
That may no doubt be the case in certain instances, but when you see how acts of kindness and generosity impact upon those directly affected by hardship, it almost becomes irrelevant.
@melisayca @realmadriden bunlar 🙁 pic.twitter.com/LIWcByuWzU
— fazil a. (@fuzefuze) September 18, 2015
Take the visit of Uosama, Zied and Mohammad to Real Madrid as special guests of the club.
They experienced untold anguish and peril in leaving their homeland to reach the relative safety of European shores. And what was their welcome? To be chased and kicked like animals.
Lage in #Roeszke #Hungary weiter schlimm – Polizei überfordert – Flüchtlinge durchbrechen Polizeikette – Verletzte! pic.twitter.com/GlMGqGwABb
— Stephan Richter (@RichterSteph) September 8, 2015
So it was really bloody nice of Real to invite them to the Bernabeu and treat them like VIPs.
Whether it was done out of empathy, publicity, or more likely a combination of the two, witnessing the joy and excitement on the young lad’s face is genuinely heart-warming.
If football doesn’t exist to evoke such happiness, what is it there for…
Here is how Uosama, Zied and Mohammad, symbols of the Syrian refugee crisis, fulfilled their Madridista dream. ❤⚽ https://t.co/i8x2nGJxs6
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadriden) September 18, 2015
