Lily Januszka, Period 7, 10/11/2023

Lily Januszka, Period 7, 10/11/2023

Modern Mythology 2024

Socio-Political Consciousness

Humans are adaptive creatures. We’ve developed for millions of years, covered the globe, built
incredible societies that can create incredible things. We have the power of knowledge at our
fingertips , knowledge that can send people to space or the depths of the ocean.

That being said, it’s hard to understand why we still can’t seem to learn.

Yesterday, I walked downstairs to a table of hot pancakes and a TV broadcasting the open shots
of war between Hamas and Israel. I was confused at the sight and asked my mom why there
were fireworks in October. She responded, “land, sea and sky.”

“What?”

“It was intentional. They attacked from land, sea and sky.”

That was when I read the headline of the broadcast: “Palestinian Militants Infiltrating Israel From
Gaza Strip.”

I had learned about the conflict between Palestine and Israel back in my sophomore World
History class. We were doing a lesson on notable genocides in history. My group’s was the
Palestinian Genocide of 1948. We presented for five minutes, talking about how the displaced
Jewish people were allowed to live in Israel by the Allies, since they had suffered so much
during World War II, but this upset the Palestinians who were already living there. After that, I
sat back down, neatly stored the fact in my brain, and proceeded to chat with my friends about
the history homework.

That’s all it was to me - history.

Given the fact that Ukraine is still in the middle of war with Russia for a year and a half now, the
prospect of war shouldn’t be as surprising as it was. But watching the death toll rise as rocket
after rocket fired into the sky, lighting it up like the Fourth of July, it was still hard to swallow that
there were people - living, breathing people with hopes and fears and dreams of their own -
dying as the explosions rang out and the smoke continued to rise.

I suppose that’s why we learn about current events in history as well - this is history, writing itself
out with the blood of innocents.

I learned in Mythology that the Greeks believed that hubris, or pride, was the worst hamartia, or
tragic flaw, that a person could have. In many of their myths, people who have too much pride
are punished severely, from Sisyphus to Arachne to Icarus. Being too proud causes us to forget
that the people around us are people, too. We steal because we think we deserve things for
free, we manipulate because we think we can get away with it, or in this case, we think that
others should die because they are clearly inferior to us.

This has happened across history, thousands of years of pride clouding judgment and making
people act cruelly or selfishly. Conflicts erupt, tempers flare, voices raise higher and higher until
there’s the crack of a gun and the rest is history. It’s happened in every part of the world where
there’s human civilization, wherever people think they’re better than someone else. There are
enough examples to fill the Library of Alexandria.

So why don’t we learn?

Why do we always turn to violence when we don’t agree? Why is it easier to stab someone on a
bus than try to see it from their perspective? Why do we end up taking life instead of seeing the
value in it? Why can’t we see what has happened before, what is happening, and use
compassion instead of deeming someone else unworthy of life, to see them as something
entirely inhuman?

I am extremely lucky that I never had to experience war firsthand. Even then, I just thought,
“that’s terrible, they must be so afraid,” before going to eat my breakfast. I hope that I never
have to experience that kind of fear or violence in my life. I read stories of heroes in times of war
that face certain death in the hopes of creating a better world for their loved ones, but as much
as I’d like to imagine that I could be like them, let’s be honest: I’d be sobbing and terrified.
 

War is never necessary. No, not all problems can be solved with hugs and cookies, but
attacking innocent people who are so similar to the ones we protect is never the answer. It might
sound cliche, but that’s because it’s true. Hamas, the Palestinian militant group, was too proud
to attempt any peace or negotiation, and decided that the people of Israel were better off dead. I
didn’t like it when someone pushed me over in the playground because they disagreed with me,
and I certainly wouldn’t like it if someone sent a bunch of rockets at my face for that same
reason. There are a million different solutions to disagreement or even hatred. Killing someone
because you disagree with them only makes you the villain, and seeking revenge only validates
them.

We are all human, regardless of gender, religion, ethnicity, nationality, orientation, or opinions.
We should be able to look for our similarities, rather than condemn ourselves for our differences.
We are human because of our empathy, our ability to see beyond ourselves, and unite together
for a common purpose. It’s honestly disappointing that we seem to be lacking the one trait that
literally defines humanity. If there really are foreign life forms looking down on us, we’re making
a terrible first impression.

Humans are adaptive creatures. We see problems and find solutions. We are innovative,
creative, ambitious, and if something comes our way, we can adjust accordingly. If a solution
doesn’t exist, we simply create one. We’ve overcome countless obstacles, and we can
overcome them now. We can reach out to others, offer aid and support, instead of turning our
backs on them and casting them out. We can help each other as fellow humans instead of
harming them because they’re different or outsiders.

I don’t want to live in a world where people die because others can’t see past themselves. I
don’t want to have to turn on the news to see a death toll increase by the hour. I don’t want to go
to bed and wonder.

“What if I’m next?”