Over the past week, social media has been plastered with images and stories about Brock Turner, and for good reason. What he did is inexcusable, and the only way to prevent future incidents like this is to keep the story out there. The question I always come back to when I see Brock Turner's face over an article on my Facebook feed is simple, "How can a human being do something like this to another?"
I think this question applies beyond this case of rape. What about the mass shootings like Sandy Hook Elementary or the attacks in Paris? These aren't even the most recent examples. The world is full of tragedy. People consistently do horrible and unspeakable things to each other. Where is the humanity in that?
Most of us are probably familiar with the phrase "only human." Generally, this is used when mistakes happen, sometimes little mistakes, but sometimes terrible ones too. "He / She is only human, it happens." I think this phrase is true, we are only human. But that doesn't excuse us from hurting each other, especially in such permanent and devastating ways.
"Only human" doesn't mean we don't have a choice. Everyone has a choice. "Only human" speaks to our natural vulnerabilities as humans. We are tough, stubborn and independent. We are also sometimes insecure or scared. We are sometimes so driven by our emotions that we walk right into heartache. But none of these give anyone the right to take advantage of vulnerability in others. Being human doesn't give mitigation to murder or destruction. if anything, it's what causes the outrage and pain that people feel when bad things happen.
I think the truth about humanity isn't the violence or the consistency of mistakes. The real core of humanity is in the way we respond to each other. When people like Brock Turner do terrible things that hurt and devastate people, the majority of people aren't standing there saying that he was justified or it was a misunderstanding. They're posting on social media, offering support to his victim, calling for changes to prevent the same thing from happening to someone else. They feel for her, the same way they feel for the victims of mass shootings or terrorist attacks. At the end of the day, despite what a few people choose to do, humanity doesn't let us forget each other.
No matter who we are, how old we are, what color we are, what religion we believe or whether we identify as LGBTQ or not, we are all human. We are all vulnerable, we all get scared, and we all have things and people that we love. Our humanity is the one thing we all have in common. Everyone has a choice. Some people choose to bury their humanity in anger, lust, selfishness or even cruelty, but they are not the majority. The majority of us are still only human, and I hope that's something we never forget.
