STUPIDITY, REVENGE AND JUSTICE

You know what? Those who are advocating for silence are the most hypocritic set of believers I have seen, read of or met.

How can you advocate for silence in such times when people are killed as though it is a moral obligation to kill? How can you advocate for silence in such moments when innocent citizens are killed in a nation that vowed to protect them? How can you advocate for silence at such a moment when people in their houses are attacked, houses burnt and entirely household wiped off the surface of the earth in less than 5 hours?

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You know what, this is worse than cowardice. In fact, we are unintentionally becoming members of these killing crew by being silent.

Martin Luther King Jnr said, “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands in times of challenge and controversy.”

By refusing to respond to the crisis that befalls us, by continually refusing to be involved in the current tragedy that hits our state, we are being stupid.

Truth is a verb. And the truth here is that we are facing a great crisis! The truth here is that we are not comfortable with our lives. The truth is that I am no longer sure if I will ever finish writing this for I may be killed in the next hour.

If we respond, what do we do?

The first instinct whenever such tragedy happens is to cry out for revenge. There is that urge in us as living beings to seek revenge whenever we are hurt. But revenge isn’t for humans. It is the animal part of us. Martin Luther King Jnr said, “An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind”. If we respond to the current crisis with the urge for revenge, violence, none of us will be here to even sing the dirge for the dead, none of us will be here to tell the story, none of us will be here to enjoy the victory that has occurred and none of us will be here to raise the next generation, in fact, there will be no next generation. Revenge isn’t the answer.

So what should we do?

Just after the seat of revenge is what I consider the first option we can begin exploring. Justice. The cry of justice is the better response we should fall to. Justice is the balance wheel that makes a society livable. Justice is the system that removes the bad elements of a society, allowing the good elements to live together. Justice is the power that automatically eliminates the wicked elements in the society. Justice is the power that protects the weaker elements in a society. Justice is the bedrock on which a society is built. Also, justice is our moral obligation to the dead.

STUPIDITY, REVENGE, and JUSTICE. There is just a thin line between these three. It is easy to mix them.

However, our world will not be hospitable if we pursue 1 and 2. Justice gives us a chance. It gives everyone a chance and it gives the society hope. Rather than seek revenge, we should seek justice.

In the extension of that quote by Martin Luther King Jnr, he said "The true neighbor will risk his position, his prestige, and even his life for the welfare of others. In dangerous valleys and hazardous pathways, he will lift some bruised and beaten brother to a higher and nobler life."

While we demand justice, I pray that we find real-time solutions that return peace to our beloved state.