Bring Back Humanity!

If you watch BBC’s Human Planet series and see humanity's extraordinary gift and ingenuity to adapt to all environments, and how man is able to tame and live with the world’s most dangerous creatures. Now see news updates around the world - the degree of human-on-human violence, unabated ignorance and the arrogance of those trying to shove their ideas down the throats of others, you’ll be sickened and confused at the same time and I am not trying to be sarcastic.

Why can man not use his God-given cleverness to live in peace with each other and to recognise each other as global citizens? I see humans going all out to protect the environment and to end animal cruelty, but human interest is hardly in the best interest of human beings – why is that?

Some will take advantage of religion to serve their ego and to create division and confusion, and others will pretend to be victims of racism in order to harm blameless people of other races and to get out of situations, knowing how sensitive the support structure of religion and race is. Some will pretend to be sufferers of abuse and discrimination in order to garner unjust support and to settle scores that never were.

I got so pissed off that I spent the weekend in search of a reason to not sever ties with the human race and live an isolated existence, and the xenophobic violence going on in South Africa made me even more hopeless. However, the sad news about the lady who died this weekend trying to save a little one from an inferno changed my frustration. Even if it was her own child, her story confirms the reality that there are people who can sacrifice themselves out of altruism - May her loving soul rest in peace.

In spite of everything, I believe there are still people who’ll dedicate their lives to three things: serving, protecting rights and improving the world around them. These people can be anyone, from the blood donor to my Christian neighbour who occasionally prepares ‘nanburu’ for everyone regardless, and from that celebrity who sends thank-you gifts to people who made a difference in his life, to the woman who neatens our community mosque every weekend, and to leaders whose actions keep inspiring everyone. May we know these people and try to be like them.