Inspired by the taxi driver...

The trip lasted 45 mins, between Euston and Heathrow, and the conversation started... Where are you going? Where are you from? Me - Portugal, him- Afghanistan.

This story happened some weeks ago, but I wrote it on the smartphone, while seated in the airport, waiting for the flight : there are many conferences that inspire us less :)!

Here he goes:

"People fight every day to have more comfort, when they can have comfort for free.When I came to Europe, I went to work in Holland. I opened a restaurant for Greek food.I was successful for 16 years. I saved some money during that period.But many of my friends were living here in London. With the money saved, I opened a restaurant in London, but in 2 years and half I melted the whole saving. The place I chosed to open the restaurant proved to be a poor choice.

So in the last 3 years I have chosed to be a taxi driver. It's more predictable, I make good money here in London, and I meet new people every day. But my life had ups and downs...

I studied Biology in Afghanistan. I went to university and studied by American books and also Russian books. I read a lot in my spare time, you know? It's hard for me to see so many lies about my country. There is so much confusion. Everybody passes the idea that my country is the "war", desert, heat, and sand ... look at the photos of my hometown [similar to the picture above]... this beautiful green valley is my homeland? It is fantastic, isn't it?

I only stay one day in the capital when I go there ... I get in the car and I'm going to stroll through my country with my family. It's sad to see what "they" talk about us like this. At the origin, we are people of Values. Our word counts: No is No, and Yes is Yes. Originally, you can trust the Afghans.

But we have groups that invented a religion according to the words of the books, and the less educated people follow them, blindly. This is not a good principle. The problem begins when we put religion, in the governance of a country, a nation.

In my country, the one I keep inside me, time passes more slowly. And life... life gets bigger! Here in Europe, we get older faster. People fight every day to have more comfort, when they can have comfort for free.

I fled the war to have a better life. But when my children graduate here, I'll come back even if it's raining with gunfire from the sky. That's where I want to die.

What will give me the most pleasure is to do a school there, maybe a gymnasium, where I can teach the children what I have seen here in Europe during these decades that I have worked here.

Because educated extremists only recruit uneducated people ... and if I can educate 2 or 3 kids a year, maybe they can get away from educated extremists. "