The ghost of humanity

The words human and humane are derived from their Latin root word, humanas, meaning man or human being, while the word humanity is derived from the Latin word humanitas, which means human nature or kindness. The implication of this is that human beings are innately kind and compassionate, and while I would have loved to accept that as the truth and moved on, it is simply false. This is not to say that all human beings lack compassion, but that wouldn't be far-fetched either.

The word humanity often refers to the utmost state of kindness, but I would argue that human beings are quite possibly the most destructive species overall, and in many cases, this destruction is for reasons that are trivial or non-existent.

Throughout history, humanity has witnessed horrifying acts of cruelty towards various species, violence, and inhumanity. From genocides to wars, these events serve as terrible reminders of the depths to which humanity can descend. To mention some of these atrocities in no particular order, The Holocaust, The Rwandan Genocide, The Killing Fields of Cambodia and Hiroshima and Nagasaki etc. The concern here is the fact that most people will try to justify these incidents by saying that it was because people like Adolf Hitler are tyrants and inhumane, and while there is no denying that, it is not something specific to him.

While many people may even attempt to explain away one-time murders as accidents, self-defence, jealousy, revenge, etc. I think the fact that serial killers are human beings too is often overlooked because it is easy to "other" them and call them monsters, such as in the case of Luis Garavito, who was known as "La Bestia," translating to "The Beast," who is suspected to have almost 300 victims, or Mikhail Popkov, who is known as "The Werewolf," etc. In these circumstances too, I am sure you could come up with a hundred excuses, like they must be mentally unstable or, again, that they simply aren't human.

Then what about the likes of Ted Bundy, Cyanide Mohan, Albert Fish, Raman Raghav, Jeffery Dahmer, etc.? Were they all not humans? Or what about Amardeep Sada, who is considered the world's youngest serial killer? How do you intend to defend yourself now? One outstanding reason is that they must have been driven to it. Then why did Satoshi Uematsu kill 19 disabled people in Japan and clearly say that according to him, "people who could not communicate because of their disabilities had no human rights"? He also went on to say that he murdered them "because he had to do it for society". Satoshi clearly believed he was human; actually, he believed he was human enough to go around making decisions on behalf of other humans and for society at large.

While none of the above-mentioned crimes can really be dismissed to prove that people are immensely humane, attempts can be made to justify them on grounds of human greed, desire, rage, etc. There is, however, no explanation for why human beings would prey on poor and innocent animals. It is quite unfortunate that animal cruelty exists in every part of the world, and it is almost normalized at this point. There are certain cases that have shaken the entire world at large, such as Michael Vick's Dogfighting Operation, the tragic trophy hunting of Cecil the Lion, animal testing by different industries, factory farming, the immensely barbaric murders of cats and dogs done for internet fame, hunting and poaching, etc. Althea Davis once wrote, "If I am killed for simply living, let death be kinder than man". Many animals around the world are killed for no apparent reason whatsoever; even if one were to be lenient with the ones that are eaten, this is simply unacceptable.

Something that I find particularly interesting is that while the terms humane and humanity stand for all things nice, the term animal is often used to describe cruel or even barbaric behaviour. This is even more bothersome when we know how all the different animal species in the world have a role in the ecosystem and how many animals look out for one another. Every now and then, we come across a video of a baby animal losing its parents, and some other animal from a completely different species steps up to take care of said animal.

I would even go far enough to argue that if any species had to be referred to as an animal, it should have been us, humans. Because, as I have already discussed, we are cruel and heartless, even though we have greater cognitive capabilities than any other species in the animal kingdom than doesn't seem to translate into our actions.

Even the earth that quite literally sustains us, is not safe from the destruction that humans cause. We all know about pollution, depletion of resources, global warming, etc., and most of these problems started or increased immensely due to human activities. As Mahatma Gandhi rightly said, "Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's needs, but not every man's greed." Our greed and unfathomable disregard of just about everything is the greatest concern of all.

In conclusion, the atrocities of humanity are a painful reminder of the capacity for both enormous good and unfathomable evil within us. As we reflect upon the horrors and tragedies that have marred our history, it becomes abundantly clear that we are constantly presented with choices every day: to show kindness or cruelty, compassion or indifference, love or hatred. The need to work towards a more just, caring, and humane world is more urgent by understanding the darkest chapters of our shared history. We can only expect to avoid and heal the scars caused by human tragedies through our united dedication to empathy, understanding, and the unrelenting quest of justice, assuring a better and more compassionate future for all.

BY FATIMA MAQSOOD

Fatima Maqsood, Department of Functional English, GCW Srinagar