A Long Way Gone

Chapter 10: ?1: on page 70, saidu, one of the boys says, "how many more times do we have to come to terms with death before we find safety?" He goes onto (continued..)

Say, "every time people come at us with the intension of killing us, I close my eyes and wait for death. Even thought I am still alive, I feel like each time I accept death, part of me dies. Very soon. I will completely die and all that will be left is my empty body walking with you. It will be quieter than I am." The old saying is that that which doesn't kill us makes us stronger. Are there some things that just kill us slowly instead of building our strength? Explain your answer

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THe statement "that that which doesn't kill us makes us stronger" is somewhat of a cliche. Life can be difficult and the world can be a very unforgiving place. There are multiple reasons that people feel they cannot cope with life. Sometimes these stressors do not go away no matter how hard we try or what we do. Unfortunately life can simply wear a person down past their breaking point. In Beah's case, his life was constantly in danger. He was merely a boy orphaned in a violent world. If the stresses of survival did not kill him, certainly a much more direct and tangible force could kill him....like a bullet. So, the original statement has some merit, but only in a very general first world sort of way.