To Become Fearless and Stressfree ..........

 

On the Auspicious Occasion of

World Humanitarian Day

Let us Take a Vow To Be More

Humble Understanding Magnanimous Amiable Noble Empathetic

During an informal discussion on this topic, a highly learned scholar asked, “Why designate a special day as World Humanitarian Day when the majority of the world population is more educated and the dictionary meaning of the word human and its etymology are so positive. He cited the following description: etymology specifies the word origin as "of or belonging to man" from the Latin humanus "of man, human, also "humane, philanthropic, kind, gentle, polite, learned, refined, civilized”.

Well, the reality is that a large number of individuals and groups are far more unhuman, indifferent, and violent. Let us explore how to live up to the original concepts full of virtue.

World Humanitarian Day is the best occasion for this. The day marks the anniversary of the 2003 bombing of the United Nations headquarters in Baghdad, Iraq, which claimed the lives of 22 humanitarian workers. And the objective is “recognizing the efforts of humanitarian workers and raising awareness about the importance of global humanitarian work. It honours those who risk their lives in humanitarian service and advocates for support for people affected by crises worldwide.”

But those are the duties of governments and organisations like the UN. Then why talk about it here to the ‘uninvolved’ vast world population?

Another learned individual answered that being neutral when crimes are committed is hellish. In the Inferno (Canto III), Dante describes “a place in Hell for those who were neither good nor bad, but rather neutral in their actions.” Another philosopher said, “Neutrality between right and wrong is a moral perversity.”

Also, the behaviour of the same person or a group can change from very sober to utterly violent when provoked. This is endorsed by the great philosopher Plato when he observes, “When we restrain or control ourselves, a rational being restrains an animal. In this view, each of us is both a beast and a person. And, the point of human life is to constrain our desires with rationality and purify ourselves of animality.”

When each of us is both a beast and a person, and the behaviour is uncertain, crimes have shockingly high dimensions. Here are some statistics from reliable sources.

According to statistics based on a UN report for 2021-2022 – in the year 2021, intentional homicides reached an exceptionally lethal global estimate of 458,000 victims, averaging 52 individuals per hour, despite a relatively stable global count over the preceding two decades. The African continent recorded the highest number of these homicides with 176,000 victims, followed by the Americas (154,000), Asia (109,000), and Europe (17,000).

It is also worthwhile to note that, according to the Central Government sources, over 11.4 lakh cases were pending in family courts in India. While this is alarming, it must be noted that very few take family disputes to courts to safeguard their reputation and avoid social embarrassment. The total number of disputes, including unreported ones, must be far too high.

And besides such disturbing incidents, how can we ignore the multiple raging wars, with constant threats of nuclear war and third world war!  

Wider Participation in World Humanitarian Day is a Must

In view of the above shocking facts and very widespread potential risks, we must encourage universal participation in the celebrations of World Humanitarian Day.

What can individuals, families, and the world at large do? The question is answered in the UN’s official theme for the Day this year -  Act For Humanity.

This theme emphasizes the need to protect humanitarian workers, prevent civilian suffering, and uphold international humanitarian law. It also highlights the importance of global solidarity and mobilizing resources to address humanitarian crises. [Source: Google AI Overview.]

The most cogent aim of this Day is explained by Martin Luther King as, “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?” This is also reinforced in appeals like, “There is nothing more selfish than helping others, as the happiness so derived is directly proportional to gratitude.”

It is one thing to instinctively rush to help a person in an accident or during epidemics and other tragedies. But what is more important is to develop generosity and empathy as an integral part of one’s attitude. It is simple - empathy means putting oneself in the shoes of others, sensing the need for help and giving it, not simply by voicing sympathy, but through spontaneous actions.

Former US President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn

Helped Build Houses for the poor in India.

 It is well known that for a week in October 2016, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn personally worked alongside the families and about 2,000 international and local volunteers to build homes in a village in western India. They are ideal role models.

There is the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Act in India, but except for a few, most are content with donating funds. This is good, but not enough. Employees can get immense pride and happiness by volunteering on projects aimed at alleviating poverty, suffering, and even curbing violence. In fact, it is their fundamentals; the Latin roots of the word ‘company’ are ‘com’ meaning ‘together’ and ‘panis’ meaning ‘bread’, i.e., company people are friends/ companions who break bread together, indicating intimacy or bonding.

How to make humans more humane?

Schools, colleges, and universities can partner with communities/villages and participate in projects like the above to help the underserved communities through volunteering. Students should get credits (like sports achievements) for volunteering, which should be considered during admissions.

In fact, the education system must be radically transformed to educate, enlighten, and empower instead of just creating ‘human resources’. Policies must focus instead on creating holistic personalities. According to psychologists, the word “holistic” simply means addressing the whole person. This includes a person's physical, emotional, mental, social, spiritual, and financial health. Addressing the whole person in mind-body-spirit can bring out the healthiest, happiest version of ourselves.

Such total transformation can also be achieved by individuals on their own through introspection, meditation, socialisation, and volunteering for wider humanitarian activities.

Let’s not focus on concepts like ‘human resources’ and aim to build bonds with wider and diverse groups, families, friendship/professional/philanthropic groups, and other social settings. These bonds can be strengthened through shared activities, common goals, and a sense of belonging. Let’s be truly humane!

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