A person is a person is a person.
Every person is someone’s daughter or son, mother or father, sister or brother, aunt or uncle. Someone’s child. Someone’s love. Someone’s husband or wife.
And when their life is ended in an act of violence, someone grieves and screams for justice.
Too often those screams for justice turn into screams for retribution. You killed one of my loved ones so I will kill one of yours. And that just ensures the cycle of killing continues on both sides. For what?
Because someone lives their life differently? Because they do not believe in the same gods? Because they are not considered equal or human? Because you want their land? Or wealth?
The past year and a half has been particularly bloody. Russia invaded Ukraine on the flimsy excuse that they were there to free the people from their government. The fighting continues but the war in Ukraine has been overshadowed by the tragedy in the Middle East.
Hamas attacked Israel. They entered the country, killing indiscriminately and carrying away hostages. Israel attacked back. And the bloodshed continues. Now other groups are sharpening their proverbial swords, swearing vengeance for the fallen. Murdering to avenge murder, which was committed to avenge murder, which was committed to avenge murder. And the killing goes on.
It is humanity’s fate that we fight each other, in the name of king, country, or god. I once read an article claiming in all of human history, there has been less than 100 years where no one was at war somewhere on our planet. Before Ukraine, it was Afghanistan and Iraq. Or Myanmar. Or the Chinese-Indian border. Or Kuwait. Or Northern Ireland. And the list goes on.
Even in those rare times when all-out war wasn’t being fought, we have genocides of people in the name of progress. This is part of the truth that we must reconcile.
I am not saying it is our lot to be bloody death-dealing monsters. We simply have the capability of being more destructive than at any point in human history. We need a different way of dealing with our differences.
Or more sons and daughters, mothers and fathers, sisters, brothers, children, families will die on both sides of our conflicts.
Todd Whitcombe is a chemistry professor at the University of Northern B.C.
