A Reflection on Our Nation's Crisis: Self-Inflicted Losses and Missed Opportunities We have repeatedly turned on one another, escalating internal conflicts and widening the devastation in regions like Amhara, Tigray, Oromia, Gambella, Benishangul, and beyond. In these destructive actions, we have lost our most productive and energetic people-our future. Through our own misguided deeds, we have deepened poverty and earned a reputation among the global community as a land plagued by famine. These famines, however, are not natural-they are man-made disasters born of our conflicts. Across different times and places, these crises manifest as shortages of food and basic necessities. Hunger, scarcity, and the lack of meals on the table are the direct consequences of our self-inflicted chaos. Instead of building, we destroy. We fail to produce the essentials of life-houses, roads, clothing, household items, and even clean water. Our youth are consumed by the fires of internal wars, dragged into guerrilla conflicts rather than being allowed to pursue education, innovation, and construction. Schools close, and manpower is diverted to fuel endless wars. Clean water, a fundamental right, remains out of reach for many. Despite living in a land rich in water resources, our rivers flow unclean, carrying waste, garbage, and pollutants. Behind our cities and towns, rivers and water bodies are polluted with industrial waste, human refuse, and vehicle runoffs. We have turned these vital waterways into conduits for disease, death, and environmental degradation. Precious natural soil, representing the richness of our land and our identity, is washed away by rain, carried into rivers, and swept beyond our borders to seas, oceans, and deserts. This loss mirrors the depletion of our human potential, as our youth-our boys and girls, our energetic future-flee overseas in despair, seeking hope in foreign lands. The lack of sanitation and proper care in food preparation further deteriorates our public health. Local drinks and food are prepared in unsanitary conditions, with no oversight or follow-up, leading to widespread sickness and suffering among our people. We have allowed terror, disintegration, and rebellion to take root, fostering terrorist groups, robbers, killers, and guerrilla fighters instead of fostering peace and progress. These actions have cost us dearly-not only in lives lost but in opportunities wasted to build a prosperous and united homeland.