I am an older sister, and would do anything to help protect my three younger brothers. I love them more than they know, and I feel a responsibility toward them. I also know that there are many more older siblings out there besides me, all of them trying to help their younger brothers and sisters. What must it be like, then, to know that the best you can do is hold onto them while everyone around you suffers? This is the exact kind of desperate love shown in this week's photo from Sebastio Salgado, and it clearly illustrates just how older siblings (usually still quite young themselves) assume the responsibility of protecting their little ones. Seeing this particular image of a boy carrying a small child amidst the dreary surroundings of a Displaced Indians camp in Polho, Mexico really made my heart ache. It amazes me. These children are so strong. They endure so much, and get so little. Yet, no matter what, they keep on going. They know that they have to be strong for their little brothers and sisters, often in the place of a mother or father. These children are what inspire me to be a better sister to my younger brothers. The whole world can learn from their courageous example of love and strength, even in the darkest of times.
http://www.pdngallery.com/legends/legends10/
From Salgado's book MIGRATIONS: Humanity in Transition
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