Must abuse only happen in war for it to be classified as a crime against humanity?
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Must abuse only happen in war for it to be classified as a crime against humanity?
War crimes and other crimes against humanity . . .
Daily we see and hear of abuse being directed from one person to another, if not on a small domestic scale then on the larger mass scale of countries at war and nations fighting to protect their borders.
But what is this all telling us about ourselves and each other; what message does it send between people, a collective of the same species? That we are not all the same, that we are in fact separate, that we must fight off ‘invaders’ at all costs to salvage our own sense of self and identification, that we fear we will lose the ability to know who we are if we merge as one, and that there is no limit to what atrocities we are capable of to maintain this sense of self identification.
All of the communications that come from this way of living together have nothing to do with union, true collaboration and brotherhood, and in fact inform us, if we were to believe it, that our true development and growth will arise out of beating each other down and standing over one another, a declaration and stance of there needing to be a ‘dominating leader of the pack’, rather than a leader in any true sense.
Our nations get behind one another and take sides as to who is right and who is wrong, and justify going to war based on their particular allegiance, but what of the corruption and lies behind their reasoning, the untold information that is cleverly disguised or buried, with not even an iota of Truth ever getting a look in? And then down the track when it is all uncovered and exposed we are faced with untold cases of crimes against humanity to make sense of, and somehow tell ourselves we are not responsible for. Are we not a part of the whole? What steps are we going to take toward waking up to our responsibility in this?
But what if crimes against humanity were a daily occurrence in our own lives and those of everyone around us, and it wasn’t just something we can neatly classify as a distant conflict that’s going on in Syria, Myanmar or Israel and Palestine to name just a few?
What if the way we speak to one another from our frustrations or our disappointments, our sadness and our apathy, not engaging someone with our full attention – what if these were all classified as crimes against humanity?
In these current times with all that is going down we can no longer point the finger of blame or fall into a heap with shame, as blaming this that and the other is just another way to shirk responsibility, as is shaming and reducing ourselves into listless enervation.
Every time we open our mouth and words come out with an expression that is not sourced from the truth of who we are in our essence, and that is governed and dictated by an energy that carries a hurt, this is an abuse to another. Every time we glance at someone in a way of critique, every time we dismiss another in their expression or speak harshly because we don’t like what they’ve said, we are simply adding to the mix – a messed up and confused cocktail of people lashing out in reaction or holding back and living in protection, fearing to give voice to their true voice or just as detrimental, thinking that their hurts and reactions to life are their true voice.
All of this contributes to shutting down the space for there to be free-flowing expression that comes from a source inside us, a source that is never with the intention to harm, belittle, bruise or admonish; this essence that is equally within us all knows only of acceptance, understanding, truth and love.
Therefore, in being the proponent or an accomplice to shutting this down in ourselves or another, is this not ultimately a crime against humanity? If each time this occurs it leaves the world one person less in their true and full expression and the loving reflection that would offer the world, then the answer surely must be yes.
Reviewing our own behaviour is the ultimate key to harnessing, apprehending and moving on from the abuse that is rife within our homes, communities and societies: it has to start with us, it has to start with One.
If we have two people being abusive and we minus one, then there is only one: if the remaining ‘one’ continues the abuse then they are left abusing themselves, which is where it began in the first place. At some point that ‘one’ might see that it is they that continue to perpetrate the abuse, potentially stirring up a sense of responsibility and accountability in themselves, or alternatively, going further in the direction they’re already travelling in by moving in a way to go deeper into their own withdrawal and shut down, resulting in one less person in the world living and communicating from their true expression.
There is so much within each and every one of us that needs to be shared, that we can inspire and be inspired by in one another, that will eventually lead us out of the mess we are currently in: but how can we get to that if we don’t first deal with and get our own hurts and fears out of the way so that we can see clearly enough to actually not only appreciate our own magnificence but also that of everyone around us, every person we meet and are in relationship with?
This is the starting point of love in activity and is the antidote to abuse.
Filed under
Truth, Empowerment, Conflict, Accountability, Corruption
