I’m a world away but when I woke up this morning, the news of yet another senseless act of terrorism. This time, it’s in Boston. I’ve never been to Boston but I know of her name – furthermore, the Boston Marathon’s name. Shit happened. Fucking silly senseless act of terrorism.
I suddenly feel even more silly. Why do I have a more emotional response to a bombing in Boston compared to the almost daily events in the Middle East? Why is there a current global exchange rate for life? Just like currency rates, why are certain deaths or sufferings not as valued as others? Where is our sympathetic limit? How is the fabric of empathy woven?
I believe culture and media shape our mind – and in turn builds our biases. We value those we understand through shared language and culture. Our perception of “What we know is good, what we do not, is evil”. That’s how others will see us too.
We see the world as a collection of bubbles, not quite divided by geographic borders but the reflection of our different layers of familiarity. For this, I feel sorry for ourselves. We have never left our savannah tribal villages. We still look at the world as one built up of “us and them”. Because of this, the world will never be short of terrorists.
It’s a bit of a dark day for me. Boston is a little closer to me and the rest of the world, a little further. Let’s not compare other people with us but take time to understand and learn their uniqueness.
Sumo Articulations 