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As someone who works almost daily with refugees and IDPs, as well as the rural poor and generally impoverished, I would like to commend John for his accurate and powerful portrayal of the humanity of these Syrian refugees.

Often, for people in the West, it is hard to understand that these people have agency. They are not helpless victims, they are not mere pawns in someone else's war; they have rich, meaningful lives filled with the same hopes that we all have. And, yes, they are in much more direct contact with the fears that most of us can only imagine. They face harder, tougher situations and decisions than anyone ever should.

They don't need or want your pity. They will take your help, if you give it openly and honestly. But they will also struggle and fight in their own ways, without you or your aid; they will make their lives and the lives of their children as full of love and purpose as any other person.

However tenable their situation, their humanity will remain. You have only to respect that, admire it, stand in awe of it, to have your heart and consciousness expanded.