Eupraxsophy

It seems that many people will much sooner forget a compliment than an insult. Say something nice, and they’ll remember it for a day, if even that. Say something mean, and it cuts into them like a scar. I’m not saying this applies to everyone, or that being kind to someone is subsequently meaningless. It’s just something that I’ve noticed through both observation and personal experience.

Few people are malicious or evil for no good reason. Being evil for the sake of evil is a myth that applies only to the villains of childhood fairy tales or mainstream entertainment media.  Humans are complicated creatures who seek to rationalize everything they do. What one person thinks is evil, another may find to be acceptable, if not good.

This applies most especially to war. Most large-scale conflicts are not chosen by their participants, but are the product of the petty squabbles and self-interests of a given society’s elites – for whose transgressions the poor and disenfranchised must overwhelmingly pay the price (both as fighters and victims of atrocity). People are cajoled and manipulated into fighting for the interests of others, albeit always under the pretext of something more admirable and idealist – the enemy is evil, the enemy is a threat, God has mandated that we do this, etc.

Even those who feel a genuine desire to fight and kill do so for complex reasons – again, no one puts their lives at risk simply because they feel like being evil. The human mind doesn’t work that way. This fact is most dramatically expressed by the work of  Belgian-Tunisian photojournalist Karim Ben Khelifa, “My Enemy, Myself,” presented by Foreign Policy:

 Who’s your enemy? Why fight? Over the course of three years, Belgian-Tunisian photojournalist Karim Ben Khelifa has traveled to both sides of the world’s longest-simmering conflicts to ask these pointed questions. What he heard from combatants in the Gaza Strip, the disputed Kashmir region along the India-Pakistan border, and tribally divided South Sudan captures the futility of wars that never end — and can’t be won. Tragically, bitter rivals are often fighting for the very same reasons.

Needless to say, I would find it both chilling and world-changing to speak to both sides of these intractable and long-fought conflicts. These are the nameless militants that most people see as little more than two-dimensional Hollywood-style goons. To hear them express thoughts and opinions – even seemingly altruistic ones – is to change everything we know about human nature.

Granted, I’m not saying that this justifies their violent and harmful actions, or that immorality doesn’t exist. My point is that evil is a complex phenomenon that reflects the equally complex nature of our minds, social relations, and conditions. And that’s what makes the struggle for a better world all the more daunting.

Below is just a small sample of these personal accounts (unfortunately, the corresponding photos cannot be saved or transferred by URL). I encourage you to read them all, as they may strongly impact the way you view both conflict and human nature in general.

Gaza:

My name is Abu Mohamed; I’m 45 years old. I am a member of the Nasser Salah al-Din Brigades. My enemy is the state of Israel and anyone who supports them. I joined the resistance when I was 16 years old. The Israelis stole our land; they took our country; they killed our children, wives, and families. The reason I am fighting is because Is­lam orders us to do so. I’ve seen a lot of my enemies; we continuously face them. I am not afraid; I feel honored and proud because I am Muslim and a Palestinian mujahid. I’m recovering part of my dignity, so all is good for me. We have very basic and simple weapons, yet we are facing one of the strongest armies in the world. Just being on your feet facing this army is already a victory, and we will never give up. In 20 years we will have absolute freedom for the Palestinians. Freedom is some­thing very, very important for me; it is a dream in my life to see my country, a land free of our enemies and ruled by Islam.”

……

“My name is Adi; I’m 22 years old, and I’m an officer in the Israeli army. Anyone who tries to cross the border illegally to do bad things is an enemy. The reason that I am doing what I am doing is to protect my country, first and foremost against terrorism and secondly there is also a lot of drugs and other illegal things that have been smuggled across the border, just things that corrupt society. I have never met face to face with an enemy in my entire three years in the army. I think mostly my fears [are] that something happened to one of my soldiers. Freedom should be global, and I think once there is no more wars between people and no more violence, that is when people will be truly free. Terrorism is one of the worst things invented by humanity. It is just an insult to everything that separates us from animals; it is an insult to democracy and an insult to everything we try to be. I want to educate people; I want to be a big part of a change. I hope that being a teacher will be able to make people think differently, be more honest, be nicer to each other, and to be more respectful.”

Kashmir:

My name is Bilal Ahmed. I am 32 years old. I have been throwing stones since 1993 because India is constantly harassing us. My enemy is India. I am not afraid of anything except God. I haven’t killed anyone because I am a Muslim and Islam forbids us to harm innocent peo­ple. God has created every human being, and I have no right to go against God’s will. I fear only one thing — that is that we are not safe under the rule of India. Recently two sisters in Shopian were raped and martyred by Indian soldiers. Freedom from India would be a blessing for us. We are not terrorists; we are Muslims, and I wish from life to die for Islam.

……

“My name is Kashmir Singh; I am 40 years old. I am a policeman. I have joined the police forces 23 years ago to serve my country. My enemy is the one who breaks the law of my country. I have met my enemies face to face, and they do not scare me. We have been attacked by our enemies several times, and I killed many of them. If someone endangers us and the laws, we might have to kill him in order to protect us. Terrorism is harmful for everyone, and we will fight it until the end. In the next 20 years, India will grow to become the first country in the world. I wish peace and harmony for my life.

South Sudan:

My name is Bureth Akuer. I’m 33 years old. My tribe is the Murle. My enemy is the one who attacks me. The Lou Nuer have attacked me. The cause of the tribal war is food. As a Murle when I feel hungry, I go to the Lou Nuer land and take their food, but they won’t allow me to take it so they will attack me. This is why we fight. They did the same to us, and we had to defend ourselves. I did not kill any of my enemies because I had no weapons, but they killed three of my relatives. When they left, I followed them, but I didn’t have a gun to fight them. My heart was set on revenge, but I couldn’t take it. For me, freedom is to be able to grow food on your own land, have your own livestock. That is what I enjoy, and this is freedom for me. Violence is something I don’t really understand. Why is it happening? We are praying and asking God to let us live in peace together. Of course, it’s all about food, but we should find other ways to find food so that the violence stops. In 20 years to come, we should see improvements. We shouldn’t continue to take things by force. If we can’t do that, then the future will be dark and we will get stuck in this tribal war.

……

My name is Paulino Kueth; I’m 28 years old. I’m a member of the Lou Nuer. My enemies are the Murle. They designated themselves as our enemies. The problem is the cattle; the Murle come to steal it. The fighting is historical: They kill and we kill them in return. We can’t deny that we have also killed; people fought for so long now. People have suffered: Your cattle has been taken; your children are abducted; you are not allowed to work your land; you feel hunger and you go without food for a long period of time. All those things are the result of the conflict. Nobody has been solving the problem and addressing it until recently. People were not blaming the government, maybe because of the scarcity of the resources. Freedom is a situation that allows you to interact with people. If we can interact, you and I, it is because of freedom. Freedom is something that can help to find solution to solve a lot of problems like addressing hunger, the problem of fighting. Previously people were under the rule of north Sudan. We had no freedom because people were not interacting. We had no future plan, or to think of what might happen, but this time around we feel we have freedom. We are under our own rules. You can even think peace as a result of freedom. Violence is a situation where there is a lot of poverty, a lack of knowledge, no valuing of the importance of other human beings. That is why you have killings, but if you know that there is another human in front of you, you can’t simply kill another person. Therefore if people get together, sharing knowledge, they will value other human beings.

It’s interesting to see how almost every everyone that was interviewed seemed to have honest intentions. Their motivations and desires are scarcely different from our own, nor are they any different than their enemies – and that is what is most tragic. Imagine if these people actually sat down and had a conversation with their enemies? Imagine if they read one another’s accounts and exchanged their points of view? Would that make any difference? Or is war just that complicated.

When flirting or otherwise trying to woo someone, the difference between being desirable and coming off as a creep comes down to one’s physical appearance.

At least that’s what I’ve seen and had the displeasure of experiencing (though I don’t rule out other factors).

People can talk up the importance of confidence and charm all they want. In the end, what matters most to the majority of the human species is physical appearance. It’s just in our nature.

And I’m speaking of the general trend here - I know there are are exceptions. Sadly, not enough of them from what I’ve seen.

Few people are malicious or evil for no good reason . Being evil for the sake of evil is a myth that applies only to the villains of childhood fairy tales or mainstream entertainment media.  Humans are complicated creatures who seek to rationalize everything they do. What one person thinks is evil, another may find to be acceptable, if not good.

This applies most especially to war. Most large-scale conflicts are not chosen by their participants, but are the product of the petty squabbles and self-interests of a given society’s elites - for whose transgressions the poor and disenfranchised must overwhelmingly pay the price (both as fighters and victims of atrocity). People are cajoled and manipulated into fighting for the interests of others, albeit always under the pretext of something more admirable and idealist - the enemy is evil, the enemy is a threat, God has mandated that we do this, etc.

Even those who feel a genuine desire to fight and kill do so for complex reasons - again, no one puts their lives at risk simply because they feel like being evil. The human mind doesn’t work that way. This fact is most dramatically expressed by the work of  Belgian-Tunisian photojournalist Karim Ben Khelifa, “My Enemy, Myself,” presented by Foreign Policy:

Who’s your enemy? Why fight? Over the course of three years, Belgian-Tunisian photojournalist Karim Ben Khelifa has traveled to both sides of the world’s longest-simmering conflicts to ask these pointed questions. What he heard from combatants in the Gaza Strip, the disputed Kashmir region along the India-Pakistan border, and tribally divided South Sudan captures the futility of wars that never end — and can’t be won. Tragically, bitter rivals are often fighting for the very same reasons.

Needless to say, I would find it both chilling and world-changing to speak to both sides of these intractable and long-fought conflicts. These are the nameless militants that most people see as little more than two-dimensional Hollywood-style goons. To hear them express thoughts and opinions - even seemingly altruistic ones - is to change everything we know about human nature.

Granted, I’m not saying that this justifies their violent and harmful actions, or that immorality doesn’t exist. My point is that evil is a complex phenomenon that reflects the equally complex nature of our minds, social relations, and conditions. And that’s what makes the struggle for a better world all the more daunting.

Below is just a small sample of these personal accounts (unfortunately, the corresponding photos cannot be saved or transferred by URL). I encourage you to read them all, as they may strongly impact the way you view both conflict and human nature in general.

Gaza:

My name is Abu Mohamed; I’m 45 years old. I am a member of the Nasser Salah al-Din Brigades. My enemy is the state of Israel and anyone who supports them. I joined the resistance when I was 16 years old. The Israelis stole our land; they took our country; they killed our children, wives, and families. The reason I am fighting is because Is­lam orders us to do so. I’ve seen a lot of my enemies; we continuously face them. I am not afraid; I feel honored and proud because I am Muslim and a Palestinian mujahid. I’m recovering part of my dignity, so all is good for me. We have very basic and simple weapons, yet we are facing one of the strongest armies in the world. Just being on your feet facing this army is already a victory, and we will never give up. In 20 years we will have absolute freedom for the Palestinians. Freedom is some­thing very, very important for me; it is a dream in my life to see my country, a land free of our enemies and ruled by Islam.”

……

“My name is Adi; I’m 22 years old, and I’m an officer in the Israeli army. Anyone who tries to cross the border illegally to do bad things is an enemy. The reason that I am doing what I am doing is to protect my country, first and foremost against terrorism and secondly there is also a lot of drugs and other illegal things that have been smuggled across the border, just things that corrupt society. I have never met face to face with an enemy in my entire three years in the army. I think mostly my fears [are] that something happened to one of my soldiers. Freedom should be global, and I think once there is no more wars between people and no more violence, that is when people will be truly free. Terrorism is one of the worst things invented by humanity. It is just an insult to everything that separates us from animals; it is an insult to democracy and an insult to everything we try to be. I want to educate people; I want to be a big part of a change. I hope that being a teacher will be able to make people think differently, be more honest, be nicer to each other, and to be more respectful.”

Kashmir:

My name is Bilal Ahmed. I am 32 years old. I have been throwing stones since 1993 because India is constantly harassing us. My enemy is India. I am not afraid of anything except God. I haven’t killed anyone because I am a Muslim and Islam forbids us to harm innocent peo­ple. God has created every human being, and I have no right to go against God’s will. I fear only one thing — that is that we are not safe under the rule of India. Recently two sisters in Shopian were raped and martyred by Indian soldiers. Freedom from India would be a blessing for us. We are not terrorists; we are Muslims, and I wish from life to die for Islam.

……

“My name is Kashmir Singh; I am 40 years old. I am a policeman. I have joined the police forces 23 years ago to serve my country. My enemy is the one who breaks the law of my country. I have met my enemies face to face, and they do not scare me. We have been attacked by our enemies several times, and I killed many of them. If someone endangers us and the laws, we might have to kill him in order to protect us. Terrorism is harmful for everyone, and we will fight it until the end. In the next 20 years, India will grow to become the first country in the world. I wish peace and harmony for my life.

South Sudan:

My name is Bureth Akuer. I’m 33 years old. My tribe is the Murle. My enemy is the one who attacks me. The Lou Nuer have attacked me. The cause of the tribal war is food. As a Murle when I feel hungry, I go to the Lou Nuer land and take their food, but they won’t allow me to take it so they will attack me. This is why we fight. They did the same to us, and we had to defend ourselves. I did not kill any of my enemies because I had no weapons, but they killed three of my relatives. When they left, I followed them, but I didn’t have a gun to fight them. My heart was set on revenge, but I couldn’t take it. For me, freedom is to be able to grow food on your own land, have your own livestock. That is what I enjoy, and this is freedom for me. Violence is something I don’t really understand. Why is it happening? We are praying and asking God to let us live in peace together. Of course, it’s all about food, but we should find other ways to find food so that the violence stops. In 20 years to come, we should see improvements. We shouldn’t continue to take things by force. If we can’t do that, then the future will be dark and we will get stuck in this tribal war.

……

My name is Paulino Kueth; I’m 28 years old. I’m a member of the Lou Nuer. My enemies are the Murle. They designated themselves as our enemies. The problem is the cattle; the Murle come to steal it. The fighting is historical: They kill and we kill them in return. We can’t deny that we have also killed; people fought for so long now. People have suffered: Your cattle has been taken; your children are abducted; you are not allowed to work your land; you feel hunger and you go without food for a long period of time. All those things are the result of the conflict. Nobody has been solving the problem and addressing it until recently. People were not blaming the government, maybe because of the scarcity of the resources. Freedom is a situation that allows you to interact with people. If we can interact, you and I, it is because of freedom. Freedom is something that can help to find solution to solve a lot of problems like addressing hunger, the problem of fighting. Previously people were under the rule of north Sudan. We had no freedom because people were not interacting. We had no future plan, or to think of what might happen, but this time around we feel we have freedom. We are under our own rules. You can even think peace as a result of freedom. Violence is a situation where there is a lot of poverty, a lack of knowledge, no valuing of the importance of other human beings. That is why you have killings, but if you know that there is another human in front of you, you can’t simply kill another person. Therefore if people get together, sharing knowledge, they will value other human beings.

It’s interesting to see how almost every everyone that was interviewed seemed to have honest intentions. Their motivations and desires are scarcely different from our own, nor are they any different than their enemies - and that is what is most tragic. Imagine if these people actually sat down and had a conversation with their enemies? Imagine if they read one another’s accounts and exchanged their points of view? Would that make any difference? Or is war just that complicated.

It seems that the surest way to validate one’s existence is to have the love and affection of another person. Time and again I’ve seen successful, talented, and otherwise amazing individuals fall into self-loathing and unhappiness because they don’t have any romance or sex in their life. Generally-speaking, it appears as if it doesn’t matter how much you’ve accomplished, or how great you’re doing in every other aspect of your life: if you don’t have a significant other, you feel worthless. Some say this is in our nature, others say it is socially conditioned, and still others say it’s a bit of both. Thoughts?

It is remarkable how most people, myself included, seem so quick to assume the worst in others. It’s as if we can’t help it. I’ve read that much of this tendency is innate: our minds were evolved to judge things as quickly as possible, because our survival depended on it. We didn’t have the luxury of investigating things or holding nuanced position out in the wild. But now, this mechanism misfires, and we judge people so readily even when there’s little need to. Granted, to some extent, it remains necessary and unavoidable. But we should do our best to avoid being influenced by first impressions. After all, we all hate it when it happens to us.

Everyone makes mistakes, fails, and has lapses in their integrity. No one has ever been an exception to this, and no one ever will be – it’s an intrinsic part of being human. Yet when we catch the errors and wrongdoings of others, we judge, ostracize, or even spite them. When it comes our turn to be called out on it, we try – like everyone – to rationalize, justify, or simply dismiss.

“No, no, that’s different” or “We all make mistakes, who are you to talk?”  We all use the same defenses, make the same demand for respect and understanding, or simply deny the accusations to begin with. Just as we jump on others for their errors and moral failings, so we jump on them for casting the spotlight on our own transgressions and flaws. Sure, some may be worse than others in this regard. But no one can claim an absolute moral high ground.

So arguably, albeit to varying degrees, we’re all hypocrites. This may be a cause for cynicism, especially as far as having heroes is concerned (as every virtuous person who inspires us is equally guilty of having lesser qualities). Indeed, lot of leaders and other “exceptional” types – think of politicians, business executives, people in any position of authority – invariably develop a sense of self-entitlement. They rationalize their wrong-doing by saying – “I’m different, I earn or deserve this.” In fact, some studies have found people of privilege judging other’s more harshly than themselves even for the same faults.

Despite popular belief, this has always been the case. I’ve made this point numerous times before: when people talk about how much more “virtuous” politicians once were, or how we used to be more moral and familial as a society, they’re neglecting the fact that it only seems that way due to the obvious lack of scrutiny we had of society back then. If we look deeper in our history, we find the difference is really a result of confirmation bias. Being alive now, and with all this ubiquitous media to boot, means we’re far more likely to see the hypocrisy of our times, and see it as unique in its severity or prevalence in the modern world.

Some may see this as a cause for cynicism, and that’s understandable. But I think that’s what makes heroes more heroic, and what makes are good deeds more valuable. Good people, extraordinary or otherwise, to transcend the inherent weakness in their nature, or at least compensate it through greater acts of good. Ultimately, more moral and ethical people are trying to fight harder against the universal tendency to be blind to our own flaws, more judgmental of others, and more prone to selfishness, hate, and other negative behaviors. That’s a far more admirable and romantic quality than merely being perfect – it’s a constant struggle to be the best we can humanly be.

We should all be cognoscente of this indisputable aspect of our nature, and do our best to overcome it. Most importantly, we must keep all this in mind when it’s our turn to scrutinize others. Try to empathize with their alibis or claims. Ask yourself if you’d do the same in their position, or if you ever have already. Judge them as you’d want to be judge, and try not to be too harsh, lest you find yourself in their compromised position.

None of this easy, of course. I can write about this as much as I want in my current level-headed state, but when the scenario arises, my higher-thinking won’t always kick in. The same goes for many others, who have also tried, as I have, to be better people consistently. The point is to try as much as possible, as hard and genuinely as we can. Most human endeavors are journeys, not destinations. It’s in the attempt that we really prove ourselves.

In just about every one of these massacres I read about, there is  at least one incidence, if not several, of people sacrificing themselves to save their loved ones (or even total strangers).

It’s such a strange juxtaposition of human nature: at the very same time that someone is senselessly murdering others, people are unflinchingly giving their lives to save each other. I wonder if I am capable of that sacrifice? The best or worst aspects of us can emerge during such tragedies. I hope I never have to find out. 

There is too much suffering in this world. It’s enough to make someone sick to his stomach. It’s all so senseless and cruel. So many people endure horrific agony for no good reason. They’re just born into it or subject to circumstances they had no control over. They’re victims of cruel chance and nothing more.

In light of this stark reality, I must ask what these people often do: why me? Why was I born in a stable and more prosperous place? Why do I have yet to endure a personal tragedy on the terrible scale that tens of millions of people do every year? Of course, that could change at any moment, even as I write this. It’s all so arbitrary.

At any rate, I’m supremely grateful for being one of the few humans in existence never to know true agony, be it abject poverty, crippling disease, or severe mental illness.