Honorable Atrocity Recent history has shown us many premeditated murders robed in ostentatious, honorable labels that range from liberation, freedom, democracy, modernization and civilization, to protection, self-defense etc. Seen from another vantage point, the same acts are perceived and experienced as atrocities rather than heroism. The common factor between honor and atrocity is the loss of a human life. Choosing either of the two terms depends solely on your perspective, since, in essence, it is murder. What you see as an atrocity is an honorable deed to another, and vice versa. Nobody seems to care about the lives lost. Why is that? There has to be a price for everything, it seems a good enough reason. Should a human life be the ultimate price, then? Are there no other alternatives to resolve crises than this heavy death toll? There are, however the lust for power only feeds on human lives. The Human Conscience Human beings sometimes have a moral sense by default and conscience, which governs the feelings of remorse, regret and guilt, remains unmoved when we choose to turn a deaf ear to its calls. Conscience is the voice of justice, tolerance, coexistence and compassion; it can cause a lot of pain when its alarm bells are not heard. It can nag, endlessly, and turn life into an utter misery, if not heeded. Evil's Make-up Since conscience cannot be forcefully muzzled, devious plans are concocted to silence it. For the sake of expediency, any action can be twisted or embellished to comply with the conscience's exigencies. It is now quite sufficient to have a majority vote in favor of false allegations for them to become legitimate and validated. Fellow humans are being subdued, oppressed and enslaved. They aspire to freedom like the rest of us; however, before attempting to free them, we need a majority vote. Once the vote is favorable, there will be a consequent invasion of some foreign land for humanity's sake. There will be no mention of sons and daughters being killed, families being torn apart, nor innocent people displaced and uprooted. If the liberation attempt fails, who will take responsibility for the victims on both sides? The answer is clear: no one. Facing the Truth Liberation attempts have become honorable atrocities. The vote of the majority is more often than not based on deceit, fabrications and false information. The majority doesn't make fully-informed choices as they follow propaganda that is tailored to mislead. The victims of the ‘liberating' invasions will ask why their fellow citizens are being killed. Who will pay for the damage their countries incur? Who gives the invaders the right to interfere in their internal affairs? Had the answers to these questions been given before voting, the majority would probably not condone the invasion. However, it wouldn't change much, if the propaganda machine had already been set in motion. Democracy and Freedom of Vote Democracy offers equal opportunity to choose freely between proffered options. A democratically made choice is designed to lift any guilt or concerns. Authorities can always claim that they were acting in compliance with the voice of the multitudes. The multitudes will say they did not know the truth and the media leaders will justify their coverage by pretending they were only reporting what the authorities released as unmitigated facts. How to pinpoint accountability in this vicious circle? Who will claim responsibility for the death toll? Collective Conscience: The Plague Salvation seems to lie within the individual conscience. Disinformation and evil plans do not work except on the collective level. The recent atrocities observed by the world, such as the ones committed by Islamic State (IS) are just another manifestation of a plague infecting our collective conscience. IS collectively agrees that the massacres it perpetrates are justified, and that the whole world should accept them. Their media publicize courage, valiance and heroism in their own specific light. Killing in cold blood, burning, displacing people, slaughtering and beheading are commonly and collectively looked upon as acts of chivalry and valor. Conscience CPR Intensive care requires isolation and so does the conscience. It should be concerned with just one fact: a human life is in jeopardy. Killing an innocent life is an act heinous enough to stir any human conscience. When acts like these fail to arouse expected feelings of guilt, remorse or even grief, the very definition of humanity should be reassessed. How did we get so desensitized to the invasion of a country, the death and slaughter of innocent people for their ethnicity, religion or for pure greed? The reason is that the devilish collective conscience has overtaken the sane and sound individual one. The voice of the awakened individual human conscience needs to be heard loud and clear by everyone, everywhere.
