What’s going on? What really is going on? Humanity seems to have hit such a low bar that shouts, (some almost on the edges of screams!) for more wars, more killings, more mayhem, and more destruction are engulfing this world to the point of pushing calls for peace and rational discussions to the remotest corners? Of course the fact is that when we are talking about the armed conflicts in many parts of the world and the full blown wars where thousands are being killed and maimed one fact that has come ever cellarer is that there are powerful forces which do everything to keep the bombs falling, the missiles flying and the big guns roaring.
Previously talk of the military-industrial complex sounded so vague to many few took it nothing more than just another conspiracy theory originating mainly from the Western world. For those who are willing to look deeper into things these days those narratives of war profiteers make much sense.
I mean there are armed conflicts which are raging for reasons only those directly involved know while the rest of humanity is kept in the dark. Why are opposing sides of some conflicts resisting calls for ceasefires either for humanitarian purposes or to give peace talks a chance? Isn’t peace the ultimate wish of humanity? Isn’t peace the one thing humanity agrees on universally? The question as to why many politicians, especially in the supposedly civilized w western nations calling for more armed conflicts while they should have been the bastions of the peace calls the world needs so much?
Armed conflicts which could have been tamed quite easily seem to be getting worse by the day not probably because of polices and goals of the warring sides but because behind the scenes the war profiteers are day and night to make sure the guns don’t fall silent. Isn’t it horrible to realize that armed conflicts have in a way become about the profit/loss accounting books? It isn’t for nothing that we these days frequently hear about more sophisticated weapons of mass destruction, missiles flying in speeds which break the sound barriers many times over, war planes which for all practical purposes could be invisible, tanks and armored vehicles which sound like the sci-fi story days are over.
But in all this the main question as to the human cost these so-called sophisticated weapons bring about seems to be pushed ever deeper out of sight. In fact from war reports we these days hear it seems that we have entered the ‘take no prisoner’ era for real. It is about how many combatants from the other side have been killed thanks to the ‘wonderful weapons which do the job with more ‘accuracy’ than thought possible in the past.
Once again there is no denying the uncomforting that it is hate for one side or the other that drives the opinions of most of us and not rational reasoning. More and more narratives from a sizable section of the media and politicians are becoming hostile while they should have been playing the roles of peace seekers. And sadly enough these narratives sway public opinions in all the wrong ways.
Recently I came across a couple of long lost friends and we were discussing what was happening on those places and I’ve to say we’re not in clear waters. Listening to what they have to say to what is happening in the Middle East and in Ukraine/Russia conflict I could sense of the one-sided narratives and so-called commentaries that were shaping their opinions. Their opinions about of the various sides are shaped by certain mainstream media news organizations and sadly they talk as there was not the other side.
The horror of such attitudes is that when we write off the other side we forget that we are talking about people. Death anywhere should be condemned. In the wars going on in the Middle East and Europe and in armed conflicts all over the place thousands of innocents are losing their lives. Even in reporting the destruction of so many lives the bias of media outlets is and the arrogance of politicians is shocking. Do those people enjoy their own highly biased and hate-filled narratives while it couldn’t be lost on them those narratives do nothing towards lessening the suffering of people?
When you collect yourself taming all those emotional genes and started seeing things for what they are and not for what others say they are things are scary. Things that we think are far and beyond our horizons are no more as distant as we think they are. Yes, in some ways the world has shrunk so tightly anything that happens in the extreme corners could impact us wherever we are. That could be one reason for us to keep track of what’s happening especially in the conflict spots.
As things become clearer and you start discovering what actually lies behind the curtains you’d be pardoned to lose hope that it would be a downhill slide from here on for humanity. Yes, that’s not a nice state of mind. But with so much narratives of hate and virtual villainy you are left with very little space to maneuver.
It could be as bad as that! “How can people who are supposed to be well-informed and in perfect control of their mental faculties think of such evil things?” Isn’t that the million-birr question? Clearer view of things saves you from being pulled into the abyss of fake and terminally prejudiced narratives the likes of which many are being sucked into.
It’s should have been a question of priorities; wouldn’t you say? And at this juncture in time the primary priority should the saving and preservation of innocent human life in these armed conflicts. Is that what we are doing presently? No, not at all. Sadly, humans are more and more becoming collateral damage and referred to in numerical terms. Just numbers! When you hear reports about fifty-seven people losing their lives in a certain unfortunate event you don’t feel you are being told about flesh and bone beings, beings that are members of your species.
In an equally unsettling fact when you listen to the broadcasts of the so-called mainstream media what you understand is that they have their way of classifying people as if some are more ‘human beings’ than others! People in certain parts of the world are not worth being mentioned as ‘complete’ (whatever that means) human beings while those in other corners aren’t being seen as being on the same par. I tell you, when you take the time to look into things deeper and try to dissect what is also implied it’s disgusting.
Anyway the only way to have a better understanding of what’s going on is to take time to look into things deeper and with more awareness.
BY EPHREM ENDALE
The Ethiopian herald October 6/2024