First off, I would like to say that this is simply
my perspective. If you do not agree with it, it’s alright and I would in fact
appreciate a lucid comment detailing why.
In the little
time I have spent on earth as a member of the Homo sapiens species, I have come
to learn a number of things about Humanity. Firstly is her diversity in
similarity, a concept more scientifically referred to as "Variation”.
Variation itself is a facet of science that in itself has earned enough
attention to be studied on its own and names like Jean Lamarck and Charles
Darwin are some that come to mind when this aspect of science is mentioned. The
resultant effect of variation in Human beings is quite amazing: Two people can
be born of the same parents and still be so antagonistic in character and
physique. While variation can be a good thing, most especially in the
advancement of our species, it also sometimes has some side effects which can
be almost as nasty as its benefits. The fact that two people tend to see the
same thing differently sometimes is the basis of some scientific advancements
and at the same time, it has also been the basis of some disagreements that has
eventually transcended into very disastrous wars and terrorist activities.
Another very
progressive characteristic of human beings is adaptation. Obviously, human
beings are amongst the most successful animals today simply because she has
learnt to manipulate both herself and the environment (although, some
"side effects" tend to arise from these manipulations). However, I
would like to look at adaptation from a very simple and local perspective. A
simple illustration; if I rub my hands on fire today, it’s going to hurt most
today. If I come back tomorrow and rub my hands against the same flame, it
would not be as painful and if I continue to rub my hands every day for the
next one year, I am definitely going to feel very less pain in a year's time
rubbing my hands on the same flame: Adaptation.
I believe
these features of man reflect in his psychological responses. When he first
hears a bomb blast, he is scared but when he hears the same blast repeatedly he
is less scared. However, if the blast suddenly sounds louder, he feels the
first time fear again and the progression begins all over again.
Very
recently, I have read various comments as regards the Paris Crisis, the
Facebook response and the #PrayforParis campaign (On that note, I use this
opportunity to send my most sincere condolences to the victims of the France
attacks). I have read comments regarding Facebook's response towards the
attacks as racist considering the fact that a lot of terrorist attacks have not
received such response, most especially attacks in African countries. However,
I do not entirely agree with this school of thought. Terrorism is a plague that
has continued to devastate the entirety of humanity and as is his character,
man has adapted to this ravaging concept.
However,
every once in a while, an incident tends to remind us that terrorism is not at
all a normal thing; Sometimes this incident is 9/11, sometimes it’s the
abduction of over 200 girls in Africa, sometimes it’s the dead body of a young
boy that washes ashore. Today it’s the victims of the France attack and so I
believe when that clueless person gives his display picture a touch of the Flag
of France or when that man who doesn't even know where the Eiffel tower is uses
the hashtag; #PrayforParis, it’s not because somebody is white and somebody is
black, it’s because people died as a result of terrorism. Now, claiming that I
shouldn’t use the hashtag because a hashtag was not created when terrorist
killed in Africa, I think that even defines racism in a sense.
(Comments can be sent to me at jobaoje@gmail.com)
Pope Jay
Pope Jay
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