The news have been coming in for years in trickles, now and then. Suddenly, it is campaigning to be a daily occurrence. Shooting here, shooting there; bomb here, bomb there, kidnapping here, kidnapping there; slaving in one form, slaving in another form; abuse in this dimension and abuse in another dimension. When did life become valueless?
It is everywhere, Syria, United States America, United Kingdom, Nigeria, Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Egypt, Somalia, Kenya, Israel, Turkey, France and on and on. Some humans dare to take the lives of fellow humans. Some humans dare to maim fellow humans. Some humans dare to abuse fellow humans physically, mentally, emotionally, financially and psychologically. They do to fellow humans what they would not want to be done to them. One wonders how and when an abuser over time allowed his mind to become corrupt against fellow humans. How and when did the world get to this point? How and when did some humans stop being humane.
A human is said to be humane if the human displays tenderness, compassion and sympathy for fellow humans. It is evident from the events and incidences around us that one can be human and not be humane.
How and when did some humans stop being humane?
When we migrated from community living to independent living.
When we moved from self-sacrificing to self-gratifying at all times
When we decided that interdependence was crap and independence was the ultimate.
When parents got too busy to train their children and left them to be trained by their peers.
When parents resolved to go easy on their children and choose not to discipline them
When parents got upset with an adult who disciplined their children
When money were enthroned and moral values were converted to doormats
When people merely existed with no purpose and vision
When people began to live on auto and heartless
When we began to want everything to be quick-fix
When family and friends began mounting pressure on their own to be brutal
When our leaders began to pursue personal interests and not communal interests
When people chose to turn a blind eye to evil and not stand against it
When we did not understand that life has its peaks and valleys
When we began to have entitlement mentality
When we ignored our bad habits which escalated to crime over time
When…When…When…
An inhumane person is a weak person!
It takes strength, courage and being humane to love and accommodate others.
A good life is a simple life; an evil life is a hard life.
A tolerant person lives a simple life; an intolerant person lives a hard life.
A gentle soul preserves and promote souls; a vicious person destroys souls.
A loving person experiences a harvest of blessings; a mean person experiences draught.
A humane person lives a peaceful life; an inhumane person lives a haunted life.
“Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.”
– Confucius
“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’ “
– Martin Luther King, Jr.
“Throughout life people will make you mad, disrespect you and treat you bad. Let God deal with the things they do, cause hate in your heart will consume you too,”
– Will Smith
“You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.”
– Mae West
How can we have a world of humane people? The truth is that when you have more humane people and people who speak and act against inhumanity, evil will recede. It is like a place in pitch darkness; and a candle is lit. The candle is a bit of illumination. It is no more pitch darkness but the darkness is still apparent. Then you switch on a rechargeable lamp, it gets better than a candle. Then the place is fully electrified, the darkness is gone. As more people make behavioral changes, the inhumane will have no choice but to align. Humaneness is contagious. The world cannot experience the desired change if there is no change at individual level. There has to be a shift in mindset which will influence a shift in behavior and purposeful living. Each individual proposing to be the change they want. Each individual resisting to be co-opted into evil. Life indeed is about choices. Choose wisely the people you spend time with. For like Jim Rohn wrote, “You are the average of five people you spend most of your time with.” Mend your broken windows before they become hazardous to you and others. Dare to impact your world positively. Dare to value lives.
I can assure you, humaneness has not gone far.
Or has it? How can there be a world filled with humane people? Do you think the world can ever have peace? How do you think each society can achieve their desired change? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.
