Now is the time to rebuild (or simply put, peace in Georgia)

This is as personal as it gets. A few days back, we were stunned by the news that Russian troops began attacking Georgian territory. Sadly, with all the hoopla that the Olympic games in Beijing are getting, we failed to see yet another world event happening under our very noses.

The issue becomes more personal because a good friend of mine, Ilya, who also did the Master's program on Spanish as a Foreign Language in Valladolid, Spain, is from Georgia and is caught in the middle of an unjust war. At this age and with all the advances we have achieved, waging a war and inflicting pain on innocent people are the two gravest offenses we could commit against humanity. Any strife, especially the kind that is fueled by greed and ambition, debases human life and no one -- not even those who think they would win it -- comes out triumphant. It is a shame that hands that once built civilizations become the very tool to drive the world to its end.

If you also feel strongly about this issue, I encourage you to please sign a petition whose link you would find here. It's a small act of solidarity which could go a long way. It wouldn't even take a long time (five minutes tops). We are architects of this world. Now is the time to rebuild.

(Va por ti, Ilya, amigo mío, y por todo lo que significa el soñar con un mundo mejor...)