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Human Cruelty To Humans

By Mary Hamer

05 March, 2009
Countercurrents.org

Apology To The Planet Earth Trilogy Part II

Read Part I

THE QUESTION: Have Homo Sapiens been truly “Wise” in their treatment of humans? – Or is there evidence of Human cruelty to Humans?

THE EVIDENCE: VIOLENCE: There are many examples of human violence to other humans: e.g. Hitler’s genocide of the Jews during WWII, the nuclear bombings of Hiroshima & Nagasaki, African-American slavery, the genocide of the Tibetan people & culture, the tragedy of how New World settlers treated the American Indians, etc. Rather than the large-scale violence of war, genocide, nuclear bombs, slavery, etc. I will focus on the one-on-one violence humans carry out with: Guns.

GUN SHOT WOUND: I know of a man who was a victim of violence. I will call him John. Here is his tragic story in a brief review. John was an American Indian orphan at 5 years of age -- when his American Indian mother died & he was abandoned by his non-Indian father. John was adopted when he was 10 years old. At 18 years of age, as a handsome tall young man, he joined the military & he went off to war in a foreign country. During combat, at 19 years of age, John was shot by a gun in the chest & he returned home with military honors to recuperate. After John healed from the war injury, at 20 years of age, he was shot by a 2nd gunshot wound in the back. The bullet hit John’s spine & the trauma paralyzed him from the waist down. After years in wheelchairs & the lack of pain sensation due to the paralysis, John developed pressure sores. These ulcers became infected & the inflammation spread throughout his body. Eventually, John had to have both his legs amputated. Then one day black spots of gangrene developed on his body. John died when he was 50 years old, in severe physical pain, in an intensive care unit.

THE TRUTH: During these many years of complications from the gunshot wounds & the paralysis, John spent many years in poor, dirty, dark housing in dangerous neighborhoods or in nursing homes – with few or no visitors & limited nursing help for many years. At one of the poor quality apartments, John was beaten up by drug dealers & left on the floor without medical care for days. At one point in John’s life he spent years in a nursing home with no visitors. John had a beautiful spiritual personality in spite of the negative influence of war, his poor living conditions, poor medical care & the lack of love by society. John was humble about his pain & fears; He rarely complained; He would gently speak of his suffering & stress by saying: “I hear the drums beating.”

QUESTION: If we had a “Pain Meter” to measure all the pain, fear & suffering that John endured as a result of war, gunshot wounds, paralysis, infections, rejection by his father, neglect by society, no visitors, poor medical care, poor housing, etc.: How many units of emotional & physical unhappiness did he suffer? How many units of human cruelty did John suffer in his life at the hands of Homo Sapiens?

& I cry an eternal cry.

ANGER & GUN VIOLENCE: Medical & Psychological Viewpoint: Let’s follow the path that Anger takes to commit a violent act such as gun violence: #1. An incoming stimulus or perceived Threat takes place: For example, a dirty look enters the eyes or a swear word enters the ears #2. This negative information is processed in the brain’s Amygdala as a fight or flight/do or die response – The Angry personality has limited Frontal Lobe brain impulse control & picks up the gun & shoots. On the other hand, the Rational person’s Frontal Lobe realizes that most things in life are not an emergency & that there are alternatives to violence; Hence, the rational person performs an Impulse Control/Restraint action to stop the angry response & he/she puts down the gun to either Negotiate or Walk away.

QUESTIONS ABOUT VIOLENCE:

*If we were to witness in real-time an offender carry out a violent act, emotional abuse or an act of neglect on a victim, then what sadness would we experience?

*What happens at the brain cell level at the fractal moment that a person pulls the trigger of a gun? What chaotic event occurs at the microscopic level to pull the trigger of that gun?

*I believe that war starts with a negative brain cell connection -- that creates an irrational demanding thought -- that causes an angry reaction -- that results in a violent action.

*As our brains observe violent acts that contribute to violent brain cell connections – Are we pre-wiring out thoughts to be prepped & ready to pull the trigger of a gun? And if we are prepped & ready only to pull the trigger of that gun, then how can we ever choose to put the gun down for peace?

*If we have not seen or experienced or understood peace in the past, then how can we ever form a concept of peace now or in the future?

HUMAN VIOLENCE: Observations:

*Human violence is carried out not only by weapons such as guns or knives or punches, but also by violent words & gestures such as: An angry look, yelling a swear word at someone or by making a bad gesture. Human violence is carried out not only by an act of physical or emotional violence, but also by neglect – that is, by withholding love or essential daily needs to someone.

WHY ARE HUMANS VIOLENT? WHAT IS THE MOTIVE FOR GUNS & KILLING?

Guns are technology made & used by people with the intent: To do harm, to hurt, & to inflict pain and suffering. Why do humans have this intent to do harm? Where did this domination ethic come from?

Does Darwin’s theory of Survival of the Fittest motivate people to hurt others? Do humans hurt others because God tells man in Genesis 1:26: “Have dominion…over the Earth”?

Does human violence come from human Self-love i.e. Narcissism & hatred of others? Do Homo Sapiens kill humans because of a “Hunting” philosophy? Do humans have a Kill gene?

NEWTON’S 3RD LAW OF MOTION:

Is Newton’s 3rd Law of Motion the cause of human violence?

Newton’s 3rd Law of Motion states: For every reaction there is an equal & opposite reaction.

Newton’s 3rd Law is the basis for the Revenge Motive.

According to this law: If person #1 punches person #2, Then person #2 punches person #1 back.

The truth is that: Two wrongs do not make a right.

I propose a revision to Newton’s 3rd Law of Motion as it relates to the human response to violence: If someone punches me, I have choices including the Rule of Law i.e. the Criminal Justice system or I can walk away; I can choose Not to punch back. I don’t have to punch back.

Can the human race rise above Newton’s 3rd Law of Motion?

Or are we just cavemen in business suits with clubs and a revenge motive?

PROBLEM-SOLVING METHODS FOR DEALING WITH CONFLICTS:

*NonViolent Methods for Dealing with Conflicts: Gene Sharp provides #198 Methods of Nonviolent Action for dealing with conflicts, including: Protest Strikes, Public Speeches, Poetry, Funerals. [www.peacemagazine.org: Gene Sharp: Methods of Nonviolent Action, Boston 1973]. Applying Gene Sharp’s principles: I propose that the human race have a Funeral for outdated concepts such as: Enemies & War: For example, If there is No enemy, then there No reason to carry a gun & No reason to go to war.

*Conflict Resolution: The best way of dealing with conflict is the Win-Win method as opposed to the Win-Lose (Domination ethic) & Lose-Lose (e.g. Nuclear War) approaches.

PARADIGM SHIFT IN HUMAN THINKING FROM VIOLENCE TO PEACE:

I suggest the human race paradigm shift: #1. From a Violence, Domination & cruelty ethic to Non-violent respectful dialogue, #2. With a shift in focus from War to Peace & #3. That we all realize our potential for violence.

1. Should we Talk with our Enemies & Negotiate with Terrorists? Yes. Polite verbal communication shows respect to others; Communication is a method of sharing information which improves understanding of each other; It teaches; & Communication is a way to non-violently express dissatisfaction & problem-solve. Dialogue is the most sophisticated method of communication which treats others as equals -- compared to other forms of communication which involve Adversarial (Me –vs- You) or Domination (Superiority & Inferiority) roles of behavior. If we do not communicate, then we are at risk of misinterpreting each other & making false claims; We risk having incomplete information; If we do not communicate, then we can not problem-solve together & we risk solving conflicts with violence rather than dialogue.

2. Cognitive Words: I recommend Albert Ellis’ philosophy & Robert Abelson’s concept of cold or warm cognitions favored over hot cognitions for improved human relationships. For example, it would be better to say to an opponent: “You are a rebel” -- rather than “You are a terrorist”. Cold & warm cognitions are more factual & respectful – Whereas, hot cognitions are statements made with strong unhealthy emotions, judgments & demanding thinking.

3. Departments of Peace:

I propose that all countries of the world develop Departments of Peace.

If we only have Departments of War/Defense in times of conflict, then we will choose war.

If we also have Departments of Peace in times of conflict, we can choose between peace or war.

4. The Human Potential for Violence: Regush warns us about: “The potential of people everywhere on this planet to break down under severe stress”. Pg 170. Regush states: “Everyone is capable of causing harm or murder”. Pg 176. [Regush, Nicholas: The Breaking Point: Understanding Your Potential for Violence. Key Porter Books. C 1997]. We are all capable of violence including shooting a gun & harming others like John.

HOMO EARTH

After witnessing human cruelty to humans, including John’s story

I withdraw my name from the human race.

This Homo Sapien species is far too cruel for me

I will do no harm to humans – As imperfect as they are.

I will do no harm to animals.

I will do no harm to the Earth.

I am no longer a Homo Sapien.

I am a new species: Homo Earth

-- A species that respects humans, animals & the Earth.

NEW LIFE MANTRA: DO NO HARM: May I do no harm.. May I never inflict pain & suffering on another being in my life. May no other being ever suffer because of me.

APOLOGY:

I apologize to John on behalf of the human race. I apologize to John for the cruelty humans inflicted upon him either directly or by neglect during his lifetime. I apologize to John on behalf of all the Bystanders such as the government, family members, the medical field & society who chose not to help John out & who caused John significant pain & suffering. For example, John’s father abandoned John; The enemy shot John in the chest; A man shot John in the spine; The medical system failed to educate John about pressure sores; Society put John in poor & dangerous housing, etc. These people, the government & the medical system either believed in the violence of a gun, they used John up for purposes of war & then\y failed to take care of him after war, they failed to provide good continuous nursing care, and/or they were distracted with their own selfish interests at the time.

CRIMES: To abandon a child is a crime. To shoot a person with a gun is a crime. To send someone off to war & then to give them poor medical care & poor housing when they return home is a crime. To let a wheelchair person sit for long periods of time & develop pressure sores is a crime. To put a disabled person in poor housing at risk for being beaten up by drug dealers & left on the floor for days with no nursing care is a crime. To leave a disabled person alone in a nursing home with little or no social contact for months to years is a crime of neglect.

WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE VIOLENCE? Who is responsible for all this violence against John? Homo Sapiens, i.e. The human race is responsible for all these crimes against humans. We live by Darwin’s theory of Survival of the Fittest & the Domination ethic; We like power & control over others. Yet, we deny guilt – We say we are all so innocent. The truth is we can all be so violent as we pass each other on the streets; In those intersections of life, that’s where subtle yet powerful forms of violence occur – unseen by most. We are all responsible for child abuse, war, gun violence, & for the neglect of the sick & the injured & the old, etc. The human race is Narcissistic – We are focused on our own welfare at the expense of others – Whether it be by ignorance, by intention or by denial. We are all too busy with our lives to care about someone who is suffering.

PAIN & SUFFERING: May we all reflect upon John’s pain & suffering. Next time before we abandon a child, Next time we aim a gun at someone, Next time before we put a disabled person in poor & dangerous housing, Next time we fail to teach a paralyzed person about the risks of pressure sores, Next time we neglect to visit a person in a nursing home -- Perhaps we can think deeply about John’s pain, fears & suffering. Perhaps we can have compassion for someone who is lonely. Perhaps we can say a kind word, extend a helping hand to or say to someone like John: “I love you. I am sorry I hurt you. Please forgive me. I will never abandon you again”. May you rest in peace my beautiful American Indian, John.

Namaste. Shalom. Salaam. Shanti. Peace.

Thank you. Respectfully, Mary Hamer

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