A few days ago I had a quick chat with one my Pakistani friends based in UK. With so many scary reports coming out of there about how the state is on the verge of collapse, I thought I would get an update from an insider. She told me that things are not so bad in the south of the country as in the north. She also says that the people of Pakistan are moderates and do not support the harsh laws that the Taliban threaten to rule the country by. After all being a woman who wants to be treated worse than cattle - confined in homes without education or employment - deprived of one's own identity as a human being.
Of course its not the first time that a group threatens to derail humanity with its extreme views. Strife in the name of religion, caste, creed, race and colour has been embedded in our history since time immemorial. This made me wonder whether man is the only species to kill its own. A little googling showed that other species like chimps indulge in gang wars. There is even a movie from 1998 shot in Tanzania.
Some species of birds like cuckoos, wydahs too invade other species of birds by laying their own eggs in their nests. Some of the chicks even throw out the host eggs or kill host chicks. (Source)
Many species like black widow spiders, wolves etc are known to kill their own cubs or mates. Some even turn into cannibals when food is short.
In short, its not just humans who fight amongst themselves, most species do. But with the complex emotions that apparently distinguish homo sapiens from other species, one would expect them to reason that war threatens their very existence. However, this is not the case at all in the case of a few insistent on using violent means for their own benefit. This may also stem from one of the complex emotions man is capable of -- self actualization. They seek to reach their full potential and higher self by 'fighting' for the rights of their people. One wonders how they justify violence to achieve that! Perhaps we are not as evolved in terms of emotions as we might think we are.
Ultimately, mankind's worst enemy could be mankind itself.
Of course its not the first time that a group threatens to derail humanity with its extreme views. Strife in the name of religion, caste, creed, race and colour has been embedded in our history since time immemorial. This made me wonder whether man is the only species to kill its own. A little googling showed that other species like chimps indulge in gang wars. There is even a movie from 1998 shot in Tanzania.
Some species of birds like cuckoos, wydahs too invade other species of birds by laying their own eggs in their nests. Some of the chicks even throw out the host eggs or kill host chicks. (Source)
Many species like black widow spiders, wolves etc are known to kill their own cubs or mates. Some even turn into cannibals when food is short.
In short, its not just humans who fight amongst themselves, most species do. But with the complex emotions that apparently distinguish homo sapiens from other species, one would expect them to reason that war threatens their very existence. However, this is not the case at all in the case of a few insistent on using violent means for their own benefit. This may also stem from one of the complex emotions man is capable of -- self actualization. They seek to reach their full potential and higher self by 'fighting' for the rights of their people. One wonders how they justify violence to achieve that! Perhaps we are not as evolved in terms of emotions as we might think we are.
Ultimately, mankind's worst enemy could be mankind itself.
