The Human Life Value Dilemma

I'm wandering into my blog today out of duty, since I haven't written in almost two weeks. As badly as I want to stream and flow my thoughts, I'm struggling with random bits regarding the jaw-dropping disregard for human life.

I tried to take my thoughts to paper, but that seems to have made it worse. I may need a few posts to get where I want to be, so here are some of the points floating in my clouded thoughts:

All Shades
I suspect your mind will travel to incidents like the VA Tech shootings when I introduce "the value of human life" as a topic. In the deadliest campus shooting ever recorded in the U.S., the shooter clearly didn't value his life or the 32 lives he snuffed.

But the declining value of human life is an epidemic not confined to extreme cases like mass murder. I'm talking about the basic inability for one person to treat another with the kind of respect reflected in the many renditions of the Golden Rule.

And before you count yourself out of the group, consider all shades of this problem. Wealthy people who are unkind to service workers. Diners who are unkind to the waitress. People who run to the complaint department but walk (or never go) to the compliment department. When was the last time you asked to see a manager to compliment service?

There's More Than One Way to Kill a Soul
Murder isn't the only - or necessarily the worst - way to take a life. The inability to be kind to strangers  creates a murder-suicide of the soul. Not only does the victim walk away wounded, but the perpetrator loses life and integrity in the process. The circle of walking wounded casualties creates a butterfly effect of hurt, bitter, apathetic, and even murderous souls.

When you curse your waitress or walk by the janitor like he doesn't exist, you leave a wound. When you laugh at somebody's pain, they die just a little and so do you. The evening news is a buffet of tragic news stories because the walking wounded find new ways to spread the pain.

I don't know where else I want to go with this right now. My notes are loaded with additional thoughts, such as the interesting notion that we use an Envy Factor to assess value to other human life. For now, I'll leave you with some renditions of the Golden Rule:

"What you do not wish upon yourself, extend not to others." (Confucius)

"What is hateful to you, do not to your fellow man." (Hillel)

"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." (Jesus)

"What stirs your anger when done to you by others, that do not do to others." (Socrates)

"You should always ask yourself what would happen if everyone did what you are doing." Jean-Paul Sartre

Comments

[BluJewel]

Hawa: You've read my mind and written my thoughts down. I couldn't bring myself to post regarding the incident because it was too saddening. My spirit died and tears filled my eyes when I heard about this. In addition, a part of me mourned for the shooter, his soul, and his family. Why are we all so quick to dimiss people, their cries for help, and then neglect to assume a level of culpability when they act out. In no way was he right, but as you poignantly stated the murder-suicide had already taken place.

As I've moved on in life known first hand how fragile life is and how close I came to my own death, I know the importance of random acts of kindness. I'm more and more wanting to make this a part of my daily existence. To lend a hand, give a compliment, share a smile/hug/ or an I love you. It's the simplicity of life that have been corructed and violated where dysfunction has become normalcy.

We must move to make positive changes around us. We must work toward social, moral, cultural kindness and support. There are so many ways in which we can improve ourselves and those around. I just hope we can do it before it's too late.