I recently received a note from an executive recruiter seeking a CEO for a news organziation in Kabul. Yes, Afghanistan. He wanted to know if I was interested in or knew anyone who might be interested in his posting. For one second, it sparked my interest. There's that one part of me, that adrenaline junkie part, that wanted to hear more about the position. Mostly as a joke, I wrote back, querying the "benefits." Standard things in a war zone like a bullet proof car? Security detail? Safe housing? Medi-vac insurance? His instant answer was a little shocking, even to an old nomad like me.
"Rest assured the office is safe. Totally in a green Zone in Kabul. Your safe as a baby in the womb."
Why was this shocking to me? Because he was serious! First of all, I could understand if he were being ironic. The circumstance of a baby in a womb being at all safe, near bombs, is a bizarre and twisted thought. I doubt that many of the mothers in Kabul, would consider it so safe for their young ones. My hunch is they'd rather get their kids to safety than stay in a war-torn city, even if it was their home, if they could. So luckily, his quick answer shocked me back to reality.
In addition to this, I had just gotten off the phone with a dear friend who works for the UN. She was telling me about the bombing of their offices in Kabul and how devastating it was to the whole organization.
The day following the exchange with this particular recruiter, two bombs went off in what was considered the "Green Zone" there.
What kept coming back to me was a simple question: just how far do we have to go to get a job?
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