Human or humanity

Humans and Humanityg

Looking at the news about the Paris attacks this November all around, one might be put in a dilemma as to whether humanity really translates into kindness. It was a normal Friday evening for the people of Paris; some of them spectators at an international friendly football match between France and Germany, some lost in music at the Bataclan theatre where the American band Eagles of Death Metal was playing and others relishing delicious dishes and drinks at cafes and restaurants in the famous streets of The City of Lights. But it was Friday the 13th of the November month, and misfortune did befall on 130 innocent souls who lost their lives while about 85 were seriously injured. People lost their friends, lovers, even family members at places where they had come to spend a beautiful evening. More importantly, ‘humans’ were lost at the hands of ‘humans’. Terrorism is designed to provoke an overreaction—either complete disengagement, or a massive show of force. The ‘humans’ belonging to the ISIS had launched a massacre around the capital; intense to such an extent that people were watching others die in front of them and couldn’t help out of fear or those people who had to pretend to be dead for hours in the theatre, who had been ripped off even the chance to grieve peacefully for their lost loved ones lying dead beside them because a single sound would kill them. Those ‘humans’ left hundreds of people’s lives scarred for the coming many years; they will have to live with guilt, fear, flashback memories, grief, heartbreak and anxiety for a very long time and will have to keep struggling with the trauma that has shattered them. It is just sad and disheartening to see that in today’s world ‘humans’ do not even flinch before ending someone’s life and not thinking even for a second about all the other lives connected to that one person; that one person’s dreams, duties or future; or about the fact that just like himself that person too was given the same right to live. The Paris attacks are a perfect example of ‘seeing humans all around, but no humanity’. All this points single handedly at the death of humanity in many ‘humans’ across the world. These ‘humans’ are but obviously stripped of benevolence, they would stop at nothing to achieve vengeance or retaliation and are simply driven by a feeling of superiority and immense power that justifies their killings and destructive acts.

On the brighter side however, looking at the news about the Chennai floods this year, we saw humans living together as brothers and not perishing together as fools. The human heart beats approximately 4000 times per hour and each pulse tells you that you are still alive, so you must act like it. The natural disaster resulted from heavy rainfall and had caused millions of people to be displaced and hundreds had lost their lives. The rain came, and Chennai responded by opening its doors. Over the last few days, as the streets got flooded and increasingly dangerous to navigate, the ‘humans’ of Chennai responded with overwhelming generosity. Locals posted their addresses online, offered food and shelter to anyone who needed it. Theatres, malls and restaurants threw open their doors. Impromptu rescue teams were formed to help those who were stranded. The gestures ranged from families cooking food all night so it can be distributed to the hungry, to thoughtful ‘humans’ of Chennai with Internet access offering to recharge phones with talk time for people with no balance or electricity.

It was as if, the skies opened up and there was a flood of kindness in the city. Help poured in from every corner of the city and the actual definition of humanity was realized as no one stopped from contributing even a little to the cause. Amidst all the chaos, ‘humans’ of Chennai had shown great heart and human values. In the end, that’s only what matters. Real humanity lies in having the urge to do whatever it takes for others as you would for yourself. These floods offer a perfect example that restores faith in humanity