Humans have used eachother for personal gain from ancient times. Different cultures, nationalities & religions have abused other people since hunter gatherers roamed the earth. By the time of the first civilisations in Mesopotamia in 3,500 BC, slavery was institutionalised. We have a very long tradition of not caring for the suffering of others. You could be forgiven for thinking it is "normal" behaviour.
Slavery & human traffiking is an international problem. Estimates of the number of enslaved people today range from around 38 million to 49.6 million. Slavery in the 21st century generates an estimated $150 billion in annual profits.
Today people, mostly women & children, are being exchanged across the border between Israel & the West Bank. Both sides, the Israelis & the Palestinians are ruled by extremists who tolerate abuses of human rights. There are many countries in our world where ordinary people, mostly women & children, are not safe from the brutality of men.
It doesn't just happen in war zones. In 86 countries, women face some form of job restriction and 95 countries do not guarantee equal pay for equal work. Globally, women still have only three quarters of the legal rights afforded to men. Currently Afghanistan is the least gender equal country, but Iran must be a close second.
What is it about the human brain that allows individuals to close their minds to the complete immorality of what they are doing? How can individual human beings treat other, often more vulnerable, human beings so utterly without any feelings of sympathy or empathy? How do human beings demonise other human beings?
Psychological abuse is well studied. The feeling of being powerful and in control gives some abusers immense pleasure. Abusers may also derive pleasure from seeing people suffer. Narcissists, psychopaths, and sadists may be drawn to emotional abuse because of the pleasure they take in having power over others or seeing them suffer.
But there must be more to the current Middle Eastern situation that that. Surely not all combatants on both sides of the equation can be narcissists, psychopaths, and sadists. Training & indoctrination must play a part. So I have to question the role of both Religion & Armed Forces.
I think it comes down to repetition & brain washing. In both religion & the military there is a reliance on membership of & duty towards the group. Soldiers & terrorists are taught to be killers by repeatedly firing at an image of their enemy & are drilled in obeying orders without question. All religious groups follow patterns of communal behaviour which they believe will lead to their salvation. There is only one God & it's my God not yours.
This has all been so deeply entrenched for such a long time I don't think that there is much chance of it changing despite the huge effort of more enlightened humans. There is good & evil. At the moment I feel that evil is winning.
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