What is the value of a human life?
What is the value of a human life?
I sit here in fear this morning. At moments such as the killings in Paris, I feel like I have something to say and yet I sit in fear this morning of sharing my feelings and opinions. Why? Because there is so much being said about this tragedy and the death of the terrorists that carried this out by people close to me, by others on the Internet, and across the news channels that I wonder what can I add to the discussion.
But, there was a post on Facebook from a Rabbi who said the world would have been better off if this man who carried out this evil attack had never been born. Then I decided I couldn’t stay silent any more.
It racked my brain to think what if these men had never been born? What is the value of a human life and who makes that decision as to how we as humans evaluate the value of each other. Make no mistake if this man had not been born, we would not be sitting here today discussing his death and the heinous crime he helped plan and commit.
Dare I say, and as much as it pains me to say, that there would be another man or woman to take his place. We see every time a terrorist group is defeated, another rises in its place.
As the Rabbi said, we should not celebrate any one’s death, but who would makes the choice of the value of one human life we would be better off without? Who on this planet is qualified to determine the value of another human?
Should not the question, after we breathe a sigh of relief believing justice was served, to question why this young man believed in such hate that he planned and carried out a murder of so many people? What happened to this human being past his birth that made him hate so much to mastermind the killing of so many innocent people in Paris?
Should we not also ask the same question, as to why humans on the streets of Jerusalem take up arms to stab innocent Jewish men, women and children?
Should we not sit and wonder about two young men in Boston who decided their choice was to package bombs during a marathon and kill and maim innocent people?
Should we not ask these same questions every morning when we turn on the local news to another robbery, murder or killing in our own streets?
Or, should we sit back and decide they are all the enemy and there is nothing we can do. So, let’s put up new fences in Europe. Let’s suspend the rights and justice of all humans on our soil to try and assure this cannot happen again.
Let’s decide to make sure every person who steps on US soil has had more background checks than the President.
Shall we decide the only right thing to do is to bomb the hell out of them and decide they must all be enemies and these were lives that we wished had never been born.
I lived through 911, so not I don’t have the experience of these events above, but I know what it is like to wake up one morning in peace and have that peace shattered and wonder where people I cared for deeply were dead or alive.
Most babies are born innocent with the ability to love and be compassionate. Our question should start with what can we do to assure as many of these children born in the world grow up educated, well fed, and understand the compassion and love of other human beings.
Shouldn't we lead with compassion, instead of deciding that because others don’t believe in our g-d, or our faith, or our government then they must be the enemy and left as refugees in camps to suffer and grow hate for those that have left them behind. If we lead with fighting and killing of them as our path to presumed safety does it make us any more righteous than our enemy?
I live in a great country that punishes people for cruelty to animals. As much as I love my Daisybelle, and you only have to pay a little attention to my Facebook page or blog to know it, I am amazed at walking into a pet supermarket here. There are more choices to feed, clothe, bathe and care for her than I dare say is available for most humans on this planet. I enjoy taking her there. But, we must wonder about how we provide and care for other human beings. Shouldn’t we at least show as much compassion for a Syrian mother and child trying to escape their horror as we do my rescued dog in a Pet Supermarket.
It is too easy to paint them all as evil. It is too easy to want a simple answer. It is too easy to want to build bigger fences and keep out one human being or another. But, I dare say once again, who is going to make the choice of who gets let in? Is the next step to decide who gets to stay? Will the priest who believes all gays should be put to death be the one judging me? Can each of you reading this assure yourself that you could pass such a test any more than that Syrian child just looking for food, love and shelter?
We all have the capacity to love, to think, to innovate to smile, and show compassion for ourselves and our planet. Maybe while we work, rightfully so, to protect ourselves from these terrorists we should also decide how to make sure there is not a reason for the next terrorists group to rise in their place and should that not start with a recognition of the value of all human life?
I sit here in fear this morning. At moments such as the killings in Paris, I feel like I have something to say and yet I sit in fear this morning of sharing my feelings and opinions. Why? Because there is so much being said about this tragedy and the death of the terrorists that carried this out by people close to me, by others on the Internet, and across the news channels that I wonder what can I add to the discussion.
But, there was a post on Facebook from a Rabbi who said the world would have been better off if this man who carried out this evil attack had never been born. Then I decided I couldn’t stay silent any more.
It racked my brain to think what if these men had never been born? What is the value of a human life and who makes that decision as to how we as humans evaluate the value of each other. Make no mistake if this man had not been born, we would not be sitting here today discussing his death and the heinous crime he helped plan and commit.
Dare I say, and as much as it pains me to say, that there would be another man or woman to take his place. We see every time a terrorist group is defeated, another rises in its place.
As the Rabbi said, we should not celebrate any one’s death, but who would makes the choice of the value of one human life we would be better off without? Who on this planet is qualified to determine the value of another human?
Should not the question, after we breathe a sigh of relief believing justice was served, to question why this young man believed in such hate that he planned and carried out a murder of so many people? What happened to this human being past his birth that made him hate so much to mastermind the killing of so many innocent people in Paris?
Should we not also ask the same question, as to why humans on the streets of Jerusalem take up arms to stab innocent Jewish men, women and children?
Should we not sit and wonder about two young men in Boston who decided their choice was to package bombs during a marathon and kill and maim innocent people?
Should we not ask these same questions every morning when we turn on the local news to another robbery, murder or killing in our own streets?
Or, should we sit back and decide they are all the enemy and there is nothing we can do. So, let’s put up new fences in Europe. Let’s suspend the rights and justice of all humans on our soil to try and assure this cannot happen again.
Let’s decide to make sure every person who steps on US soil has had more background checks than the President.
Shall we decide the only right thing to do is to bomb the hell out of them and decide they must all be enemies and these were lives that we wished had never been born.
I lived through 911, so not I don’t have the experience of these events above, but I know what it is like to wake up one morning in peace and have that peace shattered and wonder where people I cared for deeply were dead or alive.
Most babies are born innocent with the ability to love and be compassionate. Our question should start with what can we do to assure as many of these children born in the world grow up educated, well fed, and understand the compassion and love of other human beings.
Shouldn't we lead with compassion, instead of deciding that because others don’t believe in our g-d, or our faith, or our government then they must be the enemy and left as refugees in camps to suffer and grow hate for those that have left them behind. If we lead with fighting and killing of them as our path to presumed safety does it make us any more righteous than our enemy?
I live in a great country that punishes people for cruelty to animals. As much as I love my Daisybelle, and you only have to pay a little attention to my Facebook page or blog to know it, I am amazed at walking into a pet supermarket here. There are more choices to feed, clothe, bathe and care for her than I dare say is available for most humans on this planet. I enjoy taking her there. But, we must wonder about how we provide and care for other human beings. Shouldn’t we at least show as much compassion for a Syrian mother and child trying to escape their horror as we do my rescued dog in a Pet Supermarket.
It is too easy to paint them all as evil. It is too easy to want a simple answer. It is too easy to want to build bigger fences and keep out one human being or another. But, I dare say once again, who is going to make the choice of who gets let in? Is the next step to decide who gets to stay? Will the priest who believes all gays should be put to death be the one judging me? Can each of you reading this assure yourself that you could pass such a test any more than that Syrian child just looking for food, love and shelter?
We all have the capacity to love, to think, to innovate to smile, and show compassion for ourselves and our planet. Maybe while we work, rightfully so, to protect ourselves from these terrorists we should also decide how to make sure there is not a reason for the next terrorists group to rise in their place and should that not start with a recognition of the value of all human life?
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