When you walk around the streets on the 25th of May, then some people may astonish you. Why? Because they are taking a towel with them. Not only in the gym or when they go swimming - they might just be on their way to the grocery store, to work or maybe visiting friends or family. WHY?
(The author's favourite towel)
It is easy. "A towel, it says, is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have."
If you did not recognize this sentence yet, let me help you. This is from "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy", a novel by Douglas Adams. The book was famous all over the planet and the plot became even more popular when being filmed in 2005 with celebrities like Martin Freeman, Zooey Deschanel and even John Malkovich (!). Unfortunately the author, Douglas Adams, died during the works on the screenplay. For all the Fans all over the world it was clear, that they needed a day to honor him. A day, where everyone thinks about him. And about his fictional, brilliantly created universe of "The Hitchhker's Guide".
Since 2001, Fans all over the world carry around a towel on the 25th of May. And so do I today! Not only to honor Douglas Adams, but also because it is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have. And to be hones, who knows when my first interstellar journey will begin?
As I've said in the Headline, today there are TWO important commemorative days. The first, "Towel Day", is a funny one. A day, people like to celebrate. With watching the movie, carrying around their towels and having fun. But there is a sad one today as well. A more important one. It is the "International Missing Children's day", as every year since Ronald Reagan designated it in 1983.
This day was invented to honor missing and abducted children all over the planet. When I listen to one of my favourite songs on youtube, Runaway Train by Soul Asylum, the video starts with the following screen:
This video, this song is from the 90's. Throughout the video, many missing children are pictured, telling their names, how long they are missed already and how they look like. But as you can imagine, the children there do not even represent the tip of the iceberg. Here in Germany, a country with just about 80 Million citizens, roundabout 11.000 children at the ages of 0-17 are missed, without a trace (Jan. 17).
Some left on their own. They ran away from home, propably tried starting a new life somewhere else. But most of them are victims of crimes. How often have we read about terrible cases of missing children, that were found after many years? Even worse than the ones who were found dead in my opinion are the cases, where liitle children had to experience the hell of being abused every single day since they were abducted. For weeks, for months, for years.
It has been a little more than ten years now, that Madeleine McCann disappeared in Portugal, when she was on holiday with her family and friends. Her parents have been dining 180 feet away from their appartment, where they left Maddy sleeping with her siblings. Madeleine was only 3 years old when she disappeared several days before her 4th birthday. Their parents were suspected for trying to conceal an accident, that could have killed her daughter in the appartment, but there was not enough evidence found. There are many different theories on Maddy's disappearance, but presumbly we will never find out.
In April 2014, 276 girls were kidnapped from a school in Chibok, Nigeria. Boko Haram, an islamic terroris organization, was responsible for this terrible act. During the next months, 57 were able to escape. Some were freed within the next years, some were found somewhere in the middle of nowhere in Nigeria. This month, dozens of parents were reunited with their daughters, when 82 girls were freed due to negotiations between the government and the terrorists. Among this good news, there a bad ones as well. Regarding some of the freed girls, six of the abducted students had died already. And 113 girls, 113 beautiful young people, 113 daughters, sisters, friends are still missing today. And their parents do not know, if they will ever see their girls again. No one knows. How could you know, if those cowards, the cruel Boko Haram terrorists, will ever let them go? You do not.
But as requested in the hashtag, that was published shortly after the terrible act, I still hope that someone someday will #bringbackourgirls . And even more important: Do NOT forget them. 113 are still missing there. 11.000 are still missing in Germany. MILLIONS are missing all over the world. And this is what this day is for. Honor the children abducted, do not forget them, and cherish the people around you. Be thankful, that your kid is with you, alive, happy, loved.