Today, Humanity Aches
I write this with a notification on my phone reporting children trapped in a building under fire. I woke up to reports of 82 civilians “killed on the spot,” and I went to sleep thinking that Aleppo is the Sarajevo of our generation.
Aleppo is not the Sarajevo of our generation. Social media has put Syrians in direct contact with us, appealing through twitter for help, providing a platform upon which they can say goodbye. This war is publicized by citizen journalists in a way that no conflict has ever been before. Through this medium, we watch Aleppo crumble.
Our parents watched Sarajevo under siege and said “never again.” Yet here we are. Watching history repeat itself. We see the consequences of inaction and the strong cries for reaction have accomplished little.
Our global community, our shared humanity, our common understanding of existence aches today as we watch civilians slaughtered in summary executions in Aleppo. Reports of these executions, of people burned alive, of children trapped in buildings under fire spell out for us that today, 20 years after Sarajevo, history is repeating itself.
Have we not learned from the consequences of our inaction? France and the UK have called for a UN Security Council meeting, chaired by the Secretary General, to seek solution to this crisis. Thus far, the Security Council has been stymied by the veto power of Russia, limiting the response mechanism to verbal condemnation. It is unclear what options remain without risking confrontation or putting forces in harm’s way, this leaves our world with one solution. Russia and Syria must stop mass atrocities against civilians, and we must see to it that they are held accountable for their actions. Condemnation has not succeeded in stopping this madness, but we must not let our voices grow quiet as the situation fades.
This morning I observed a video exchange between high school students in the U.S. and refugees in a Middle Eastern country. Myself and others were moved to tears as children sang Christmas carols to one another. The power of such an exchange, from one human to the other, without recognition of differences, conflicts, or history, demonstrates the shared humanity of our global community.
Today, we glance at each other, our family, friends, classmates, coworkers, and passers-by, and we see in one another a human being. Those in Aleppo are no different. We must stand for them, mourn those who have gone, and do everything in our power to respond in any capacity that may save others.
Today, humanity aches for those in Aleppo. It aches for those who feel powerless to stop such atrocity, and it looks at the belligerents not with disdain, but with staunch contempt. We have allowed this to happen, and we are responsible for stopping it.