Musings on a sad Sunday
The Legal Genealogist rarely deviates from genealogy into politics, and even more rarely on a Sunday — a day this blog sets aside for discussions of how genealogists can use DNA to help prove relationships.
So, in one sense, this is going to be a rare Sunday.
Because there is something that most assuredly needs to be said, and it may well be considered political.
Try this on for size:
There is absolutely nothing in our DNA that makes one human being on the face of this earth better than any other human being on the face of this earth.
And nothing in our DNA that makes the death of one of us more or less of a loss than the death of any other one of us.
In the essential genetic code that defines our lives as human beings, that which sets us apart is a tiny fraction compared to that which unites us.
The losses that we suffer as human beings are all equal.
And so we must mourn them all equally:
• Friday’s massacres in Paris of more than 120 people.
• The suicide bombing in Beirut that cost 43 people their lives.
• The suicide bombing in Maiduguri, Nigeria, that left 42 people dead.
• The attack on a refugee center and market in Chad that resulted in 38 deaths.
• The suicide bombings in Ankara, Turkey, that left 102 dead.
• The car bombing in Khalis, Iraq, that left 35 dead with another 22 dying in related attacks in Al Zubair and Hussainiya, Iraq.
• The market, mosque and football match suicide bombings in Maiduguri, Nigeria, that caused 145 people to die.
• The suicide bombings and car bombings in Sana’a, Yemen, that resulted in 32 deaths.
• A truck bomb set off in Baghdad’s Sadr City that caused 76 deaths.
• Multiple bombings in the Diyala Province of Iraq that left more than 50 people dead.
• Suicide and truck bombings in Kabul, Afghanistan, that caused more than 50 deaths.
• A suicide bombing in Suruc, Turkey, that left 32 people dead.
• Multiple suicide bombings in a market in Khan Bani Saad, Iraq, that left at least 100 people dead.
• Multiple suicide bombings in Damaturu, Nigeria, that caused 64 deaths.
• Bombings at Jos, Nigeria, that killed 51 people.
• Shootings in Kukawa, Nigeria, that killed 145 people.
• Shootings in Sousse, Tunisia, that left 38 people dead.
• Car bombings in Kobani, Syria, that caused 146 deaths.
• Suicide bombings in Maiduguri, Nigeria, that left 30 dead.
• A bombing in Monguno, Nigeria, that left 63 dead.
• A shooting attack on a bus in Karachi, Pakistan, that left 45 people dead.
• A shooting and hostage-taking attack at the university in Garissa, Kenya, that caused at least 147 deaths.
• A series of suicide bombings at mosques in Sana’a, Yemen, that left 137 people dead.
• Suicide bombings in Maiduguri, Nigeria, that left 58 dead.
• A mosque bombing in Shikarpur, Pakistan, that left 60 people dead.
And that list doesn’t begin to tell the story.
These are only the cases with more than 30 dead — and only from 2015.
Folks, there’s nothing in the essential genetic code of our lives as human beings that says one of us is any better than any other one of us. Nothing that gives one of us the right to take the life of any other one of us.
And nothing — nothing at all — in the essential genetic code of our lives as human beings that identifies us by what we believe.
There is nothing in our genes that determines Christian or Jewish or Muslim or Buddhist or Taoist or unbeliever.
There is nothing in our genes that says worthy or unworthy.
We are all in this together, with so much more that makes us alike than that which could even begin to set us apart.
Somehow, we have got to find a way to stop the killing.
Clear. Concise. Honest.
Thank you for putting it all together so nicely. When much of the world relies on limited (at times biased?) news coverage, it’s easy to forget or not be aware of all that is truly going on around us & in the far corners of the world.
I’m glad you deviated today— good call 🙂
Thanks, Nick. All of our hearts are hurting today — all all all.
Thank you for reminding us of all of those others who have died at the hands of terrorists. You’re so right: We’re all in this together, and must cooperate to find ways to stop the people who commit these acts and those who instigate them – everywhere.
And the tragedy is, this isn’t even a complete list. Dear. Lord. This. Is. So. Tragic.
Thank you for this post. It makes me realize that no matter how hard we try to overcome our biases, most of us responded more strongly to the deaths in Paris and may not even know about the other killings. Why? Because of the media in part, but also because the media reflects our own tendencies to empathize more with those who are most like us on the outside—western Europeans more so than Asians or Africans. We need to be reminded over and over again that every life is worth the same, regardless of race, religion, nationality, sex, age, class, etc.
And sometimes we don’t even realize or think about the fact that we are biased.
It is human nature to be more affected by the death of our own brother than that of a third cousin once removed. This is not because we are biased against our cousins, we just don’t know them as well. More of us have been to Paris, seen movies about Paris, seen TV coverage of the Paris attack, than we have the attack the day before in Beirut. Don’t let the media tell you what to think.
I appreciate your post. We need to be more aware what is really Happening in our world
Thank you for another well said piece. Several readers have commented on the media – and definitely the media in the US provides a very small view of the world. I just looked at the front page of the news here in Oklahoma City at NewsOK – our online version. The only mention of Paris is a photo from Friday updated on the 13th. The rest is primarily about football. Compare that to the front page of the NYT.
However, we do have access to news from all over the world available to us. It is up to us to seek and read media from all over the world. And let US media
know what we want and that we DO care as it becomes more and more a monopoly that shapes our world view. Connecting with the media in Europe, the Middle East, etc. will provide an entirely new perspective on both other people and ourselves. If you don’t find one you want to read in English, use Google translate.
And do remember, those we so easily now label terrorists also have that same DNA. As Judy says we have got to find a way to stop the killing. And that means asking different questions, not more killing by the “good guys.” At least I would think that would be the case.
My son and I were this subject this after it happened. Why is France more in the forefront than the others? Why do we not hear about the pain in Africa or Asia or the Middle East? Why, when there is only one bombing of a, yes I’ll be blunt as always, “white” country, is that all over the news and social media, but the hundreds of others get ignored? We can hope killings will stop, but religion, politics, and greed get in the way of ethics and morality and love. If it weren’t for hope, though, those who do work for peace would give up. And we cannot have them giving up. Thank you, Judy, for having the courage and strength to bring up this difficult subject today.
For Americans France is more than just another country full of white men. When our backs were uo against the wall during the American Revolution, France was our very first foreign ally. We very likely would not have been able to keep our army from dissolving without the financial assistance we received from the French treasury, and if the French navy had not had our back at Yorktown, Cornwallis would have slipped away to sea to fight another day instead of being forced to surrender. A Frenchman by the name of Lafayette felt so strongly about the matter that he came to America at his own expense to join Washington’s army. He became almost like a son to Washington. As a national hero he was granted American citizenship. Furthermore, it was our Declaration of Independence which inspired the French Revolution. It is no accident that the blue, white and red of the French tricolor mirrors our own color choice of red, white and blue. Yes, we of the human race are all one family, but even within families, there are some bonds that are a little tighter than others. Within our global family, France is the twin sister with whom we shared the secret hopes and dreams we had growing up, and that has given the people of France a very special place in our hearts.
…and the more we bomb and injure/kill others, the more the terrorists look like victims of aggression to others. We end up manufacturing more crazy thinking. Twitter had many of those attacks being talked about – or maybe it’s a reflection of the various people I follow on Twitter? They were heart-broken, feeling so isolated in their pain from their experiences of loss.
Thank you for a very clear post on the truth – this world is one world, a blue dot in the Universe, and we are all one peoples.
Thank you — well said. Yes, all life has value.
Let’s hope the message spreads.
There is only one race. The human race. Artificially defined differences are created, defined and exploited by those who would dehumanize anyone who does not conform to their particular way of thinking and behavior. Once they convince others of their group that such differences are real it is an easy step to ostracize or kill “outsiders/non-believers/infidels/etc.” It was true of the Nazis, and it’s just as true of ISIS, as well as many nations, minority and majority groups and political parties. Such organizations know that defining those who do not belong to their group as less than human, strengthens the feelings of belonging among their membership and deadens their member’s brains to the suffering inflicted on non-believers. When such groups turn to killing to eliminate opposition the rest of the world has no option but to eradicate that organization by whatever means necessary. We did that with the Nazis and MUST do so with ISIS as well.
Good answer. There is no other answer to evil. That’s the only thing they understand.
When you say “that is the only thing they understand”, you have already painted “they” as outside humanity, as other. As though their lives don’t matter.
Unfortunately, the option you argue for (to eradicate or kill) seems to be the very thing that you argue against in the first part of your comment. You have painted “terrorists” as evil and unsavable rather than as human beings who have suffered tragedies, etc, in their own lives that have led them to radicalism. We must rethink killing as a solution. Many of these “terrorists” are young, often teens, whose willingness to take their own lives for their beliefs would indicate their sense of powerlessness and lack of options. Thus, killing leads to killing and more killing. Until we are willing to conceive of things differently ourselves how can there be any change?
Thanks so much for this very appropriate post. I have been disturbed at how we appear to be playing favorites extending our compassion to the French in such large measure while ignoring all the other suffering around the world, so this one really hit the mark for me.
Thank you for saying that Judy.
Very well said! I don’t see it as political at all I see it as something that needs to be said by more people. We are all humans no matter who we pray to or where we live.
Very, very well said Judy. Today’s post should be required reading by EVERYONE!!
Thank you.
Thank you for a clear, concise article that, as others have said, should be required reading for everyone.
I really do not believe its a matter of DNA. Most of us today know the human race is linked through DNA so in a sense we are all our brothers keeper. Ideology though, seperates the human race as much as DNA defines it, wreaking havoc upon the human race. So is there an answer to this problem? Each person will answer this according to their own ideology and I wished to hell I was wrong.
But when it’s ideology, Stan, we can change. That’s the key here. This really is in our power to change.
Within our power…YES, even DNA mutates!
Everyone has a natural desire to surround themselves with people they find congenial, who speak the same language, cook the same foods, share the same fashion sense or income level, and worship the same god(s) — basically with people who are just like themselves. The trouble starts when they start to avoid contact with those who can’t or won’t force themselves into the mold and their actions are reciprocated. Communication stops and emotionally, intellectually and physically gated communities are created, in which denigration replaces courtesy and mutual exclusion becomes the rule. From there it’s only a very short step to fear, hatred, demonization, and ultimately, tit-for-tat violence. In the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. :
“The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. Instead of diminishing evil, it multiplies it. Through violence you may murder the liar, but you cannot murder the lie, nor establish the truth. Through violence you may murder the hater, but you do not murder hate. In fact, violence merely increases hate. So it goes. Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.”
Loving your enemies, being willing to die rather than surrender to the pull of that spiral, requires more courage and strength of character, than almost anything else I can think of, but I am convinced that we must somehow find the strength to do it if our world is to survive.
Wise words, worth repeating: Loving your enemies, being willing to die rather than surrender to the pull of that spiral, requires more courage and strength of character, than almost anything else I can think of, but I am convinced that we must somehow find the strength to do it if our world is to survive.
Well said…every word of it. Thank you.
Very well stated.
The further horror of all these killings is that no one has proposed a solution that doesn’t result in more killings. What has happened to the regard for human life that once seemed to be a mark of civilized societies?
Thank you