And suddenly, so much hate becomes visible.

Well, this blogpost I had written-up soon after the ChristChurch attack but decided not to publish because I believed I was too emotionally attached to the incident at the time. Now, a month later, I read the piece and find my point of view unchanged.

So here's what I think:

It is still about race and colour, birthright and religion -- all man-made, only to divide and to have power. We know this. We’ve read about this dominance time and again. Even us - the educated - in our tiniest ways, we don’t seem to have the inner strength to denounce this social conditioning. Centuries of 'force-feeding' have gotten under some of our skins. Every now and then, a virus erupts causing fear and panic eventually shaping a narrative that builds to a visible dislike for fellow human beings.

How does killing off your own kind using ethnicity to validate the argument become justified in our minds! I won't dare take the heart-route because I think we (people) have long lost the ability to feel for our neighbour. Call me a skeptic, pessimist even, I wouldn't care. The events of mid-March -- ChristChurch, London, Utrecht -- prove that the epidemic of fear and panic worries us all. The narratives these confused minds spin seem to attract, and I’m thinking it’s probably because the human mind does enjoy complicated plots. But this is an unpleasant spin -- spurring hate and inciting fear have never won!? Good has always found its way, even in the darkest of earth times. It will, even now.

There are several lessons to learn from the experiences of bad behaviour – there always is. First, we have ourselves to blame. As a civilisation, we seemed to have encouraged hate-filled wars, ghost wars even, and connected it to some kind of triumph -- a trophy always waited in the end. Second: I don’t recall admissions of failure to protect the human race. Oh yes, the Pope did apologise for the crusades, Germany for the extermination of Jews, some American Presidents for the Vietnam war, and maybe even some other wars (too many to recall here) -- I suppose there are some other occasions where apologies are recorded for the benefit of peace and closure. Let them rest in peace, I say. What has changed but?!

As an individual, a lowly one at that, I can’t see the overall good in society at all. Statistics will prove to me that all this ‘hate’ always existed, and one is more aware of it today only because communications / connectivity has allowed us this privilege. Data hardly lies. But truly, that is not how I feel. Intolerance among us all is growing everyday, and communications has a large role to play in all this. 

With every communication device invented we become more self-centred and clued-in to ourselves. The gradual cut-off from the world next to you happens the minute the headset reaches ears. Research has published time and again the perils of not relating to our surroundings, yet every company that manufactures communication devices (although their taglines speak to being connected ‘forever’) hardly match the techniques and methods of real communication. Systematic disengagement is now a habit, and habits do die hard, don’t they. No wonder the de-addiction centres are a thriving business!

Could we not pay attention at least now, after ChristChurch, after London, after Utrecht – take a ‘call’ on how to interact and understand the other side before we jump to hateful conclusions. This is not a ‘castle in the sky’, more a very basic, utility hut on hard ground for ourselves to come to terms with ourselves.

Disclaimer: The cartoon is borrowed from the internet.