Humanity without boundaries, Love without Borders

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Visiting the “Genocide Museum” at Kigali was sobering. The pain the nation, communities, families, and individuals went through, and the millions murdered was beyond comprehension.

 

Seeing the museum, with all the pictures and videos of atrocities perpetuated by one community against their own brothers and sisters was disturbing and confusing. How can brothers and sisters kill their own? 


But then this is true of many nations, including my own. 


What encouraged us was – the national leaders had the vision to put the brokenness of their own nation, out there in the public as reminder for upcoming generations. Yes, the past is painful, but it must be openly communicated so that we can learn from our mistakes and not end up doing it again. 

But then, many other nations too have created such memorials. Cambodia, Holocaust museums, Bosnia, and such others. Friends who have visited these locations told us, all these have something in common. These nations had the courage to put the inconvenient truth out there. 

 

I wonder why some nations are ok with putting inconvenient truths  out there (with its variations of course), but others brush it under the carpet, and live as if nothing even happened. 

 

But then I recognise – a nation will be like its people. If I am not willing to be open to share my brokenness with others, my community, my tribe, my nation will be like me too. The shame of the past is best swept under the carpet for the honour in front of others today! 

 

The second realisation was that all genocides or similar atrocities have somethings in common. (A very simplified version of a very complex issue). 

 

The motivation - a powerful lobby planning and conniving for years together for political, economic, or ethnic superiority, based on world views or deeply held beliefs that they are better than others. The us vs they divide!

The tools - Perceived ethnic or religious superiority, or at times the economic inferiority or lack of power used to mobilise and motivate the unsuspecting masses, who lived in harmony earlier. Generally, by false truths, promoted by print media, radios, now social media!

 

The support - colonial (international) or neo colonial (national) powers that align along with their massive resources to support these movements for their own geo-political or economic gains.

 

The methodology – use the common masses to be the foot soldiers to destroy the other among their midst!

 

The outcome – destroyed communities, villages and even a nation, which will take generations to recover…

 

I wonder, why do we not learn from history? Then I recognise, even for me, my brother or my sister becomes the other when I am promised utopia here today but forgetting that my utopia comes with a price to pay!

 

In the middle of these reflections, there was this very elderly teacher, teaching us at a conference. He told us how he lost most of his family during the genocide. How he lived for years with anger and wanting revenge. Till he encountered a greater force and power – the one of forgiveness. 


Using the good Samaritan story, he reminded us – it took an abused and oppressed ethnic minority member, a Samaritan, to care for a beaten-up member of oppressor community Jew. He was ignored by His own religious and legal leaders and systems. 

 

For me to write this is easy, but coming from him it was different.

 

And went on to challenge us, to learn from the past but live a life of “Humanity without boundaries, Love without Borders”. 


He reminded us that only an inner power from God who spoke these words when He was being murdered  “Forgive them for they do not know what they are doing” can enable us to live a life of “Humanity without boundaries, Love without Borders”.


Will I break out of my borders and boundaries? 

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