Since the most primitive accounts of human nature there has been conflict, it is non-negotiable for one to state that we as humans have been at war with one another since the genesis of man-made civilizations. Whether it was violence on a grandiose scale or miniscule, fear and our animalistic tendencies has been a part of our ancestors lives just as well as ours. Over the millenniums, we have adapted coping mechanisms and boundaries designed to preserve our own lives. Just as a frog in the Amazon Rainforest uses toxins to fight off and kill predators or a Great White Shark obtained jaws capable of killing an organism three times its size in less than three mere seconds, we too, have found our own survival techniques. An ancient man would adopt the spear, carving a weapon which could be used to kill a bear in the wild, utilizing the meat of the animal as means of nutrition and the fur as a way to keep himself warm in the midst of a freezing winter.
Recently the news has been flooded with horrifying accounts of mass murder, nationwide distress, and overwhelming potential dangers. The Orlando Shooting, publicized stories of sexual assault, the infiltration of ISIS into the world’s leading nations, the flood of refugees into European nations due violent outbreaks, starvation, and the overbearing presence of unsafe circumstances. On a grandiose scale, we are all fearful of the potential dangers which lie within the cost of being an active part of today’s society.
The brawny cavemen feared the attack of the Saber-Toothed Cat, the snake which injected venomous toxins into their bloodstream with one small bite, maybe the harsh weather conditions where his body could freeze into decay or intense heat causing detrimental malfunctions in the brain and body. All of these potential threats meant death, excruciating pain, and suffering that words couldn’t equate to. The dangers of the world outside their cave made them paranoid and ready to strike or fight off enemies which crossed its path. In 2016, the human race as a whole has felt tragedy and the results of potential threats which eliminate our sense of safety and peace. Similarly to many of our ancestors, the urge to survive has taken over our drive to thrive in our environment. Through methods of scapegoat mentality, acts of extreme hatred, and constant reversion to violence in the midst of danger, we too revert. We have subdivided our own species, naming one man the enemy of another, and his enemy being one which we have maintained peace with. Man has had millions of enemies since its short time on this planet, but the enemy which has caused the most destruction and has taken the most lives is staring back at us in the mirror when we wake up in the morning and every time we turn our televisions on to another bombing or another mass shooting.
The caveman merely survived when he stayed in his few feet of territory that had proven safe to him so far. The Neanderthal did not become the advanced human we know today by succumbing to his fears and letting them drive his every action. He managed to find balance between his animalistic, violent tendencies by working with his fellow man rather than viewing him as another enemy; while also having enough intellect to understand that if he were to remain in his cave, secluding himself from the dangers of the outside, he would still cease to exist, just from another natural cause. Somewhere between the curiosity and the use of community, the caveman became not just a human, but a person. He developed emotion, awareness, and the potential to prosper he had within himself began to illuminate through his own life.
The forces which make us humans often can combat with the forces that are our primitive nature compel us to be. A young man goes on a killing spree and murders 50 individuals because he has an intense hatred for homosexuality and an intense love for his own personal moral values. Obviously this is a much more simplified version of the tragedy that occurred a few weeks ago, but it doesn’t change the logistics of the matter, man let his most primitive-self guide his humanity. The acts of Omar Mateen were tossed up in the eyes of many to Mateen’s Muslim heritage and backround. A journalist from PBS conducted an interview with a Florida resident who is an active member of the Muslim community and the Islamic Center of Orlando. The resident proceeded to denounce the act, expressing his solitutide for the victims and those affected. He led a candlelight vigil in honor of the victims, exclaiming his disapproval for Mateens actions. After the vigil, he and many other active members of the center received terrifying and threating phone calls, some of these calls giving specific details of how they would go about harming members of the mosque and how they’re going to kill them. Simultamoiously, more than 150 members of the LBGT community and the Muslim community came together to mourn the lives of the victims at the 519 community center. These two groups joined forces, exclaiming their urge to fight. Yet their enemy is not each other, nor any socially constructed group. They have established their enemy as the unjustice acts of predjudice and violence as a whole.
In the midst of the tragedies, violence, and fear we are surrounded by in 2016, we should remind ourselves of the history of our race. We have the option to live in fear and let it consume us, or acknowledge it and continue to better ourselves from it. Blaming and hating an entire race, religion, gender, or culture, because of the actions of a few individuals only perpetuates the killing and suffering which we have come to know today. Attempting to avoid the potential dangers all together, sticking with conventional beliefs, and never attempting to learn about the world around you which you are unaware, you become hallow. You are not just avoiding the dangers, but the good things too. In order to thrive, we have to find balance. When we divide ourselves as the enemy, we lose our humanity, a sense of connection and communication far more rewarding than simply surviving, something that we are fortunate enough to be capable of, but unfortunately unable to utilize.
