October 20, 2023 • 10 mins
This week's episode was definitely triggered by the war in Gaza. However, since this is not a political channel, the episode partly discusses humanity's response to the war through social media and protests. Of course, I am pro-peace and advocate only that for humanity.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Hello there, and welcome to Casual Fridays, the podcast where weekly themes are discussed
(00:08):
through personal experiences and anecdotes and some storytelling.
I am your host Dada, and this podcast is part of my I Read Aloud channel on YouTube, where
I read fairy tales, short stories, children's stories, poetry, letters, and some excerpts.
So if you enjoy such content, please make sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel.
(00:33):
You'll find me in the search box under at I Read Aloud, and you can also find me on
Instagram, TikTok, and X, all under the same name at I Read Aloud.
I also want you to know that this podcast airs every Friday on the following platforms,
YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Google Podcasts, iHeartRadio, Samsung Podcasts,
(00:59):
Podcast Index, Lucid Notes, RSS, and Spotify.
Today's episode is titled On Humanity.
This episode was triggered by the situation in Gaza, but it will not be centered only
on that catastrophe.
The episode shall be divided into four main parts, an introduction, the role of media
(01:25):
and social media in wars and other catastrophes, the role of governments versus the role of
the people in face of wars and people's rights, and the conclusion shall be my personal wish
for humanity.
I have to preface all this, however, by stating that I am an advocate for peace and that I
(01:48):
have already lived my share of wars in Lebanon.
Those of you who have listened to my second episode of this podcast, Life in War Shelters,
already know this, and it is needless to say that I do suffer from PTSD to the extent that
when a thunderstorm is brewing and the thunder is still far away, I pick up my ears and become
(02:12):
extremely alert, trying to decipher whether what I am hearing is in deep thunder or dreaded
bombshells.
And, of course, I curse when I jump out of my skin at the beginning of fireworks and
then realize that it's not an explosion.
And when I hear any aircraft, a helicopter or otherwise nearby, I brace myself for the
(02:37):
possibility that a missile would drop onto my building and that I would die.
And I only unclench when the aircraft is surely totally gone.
So if I experience all this now, 17 years after the last war was waged in Lebanon in
2006, just imagine what people who are actually stuck in a war right now are going through.
(03:05):
And there are so many wars being waged as you are listening right now.
There's the war in Gaza with Israel, the war in Ukraine with Russia, the war in Armenia
with Azerbaijan.
Then there are endless skirmishes in different parts of Africa.
So human suffering is very real and truly painful, especially in today's wars where
(03:27):
governments sit back and make destructive decisions without getting their hands dirty.
Before cannons were invented, cannons, gunpowder, rifles, you name it.
Before these were invented, battles used to be fought by sword or axe and by bow and arrow
(03:49):
at close proximity.
The lord or king who decided to go into battle would actually be present on the battlefield.
The battle would be fought and lost or won on the battlefield.
And when the king or lord dies or surrenders, the battle or war is over.
Now I am not saying that these wars don't have their atrocities too.
(04:13):
Sometimes armies would attack villages and burn them down and rape and pillage their
way to victory.
And not all wars ended with fleeing prisoners of war.
Sometimes no one of the opposing army was left alive.
So barbarism and ugliness have always been part of human nature.
(04:34):
What I am saying is that the invention of gunpowder, eventually cannons, has led to
today's sophisticated artillery.
Artillery that's being used for far-range destruction and killing would be not of a
head and the press of a button.
Those taking the decisions to go to war are all cozied up in their homes and offices and
(04:57):
take lives just like that, as if it's a business strategy or a contract to be signed to seal
the deal.
The only positive thing that is happening today amidst all this tragedy is the rise
of social media.
It has given a voice to everyone and no government can keep its atrocities hidden anymore.
(05:20):
If governments control mainstream media, social media cannot be controlled effectively.
Maybe the hosting platform could delete some posts, maybe it could freeze an account, but
in the end there are so many posts out there that it is a near impossible mission to silence
the masses these days, unless of course the internet is turned off.
(05:44):
My chagrin with both the media and social media however, is that it's all about the
current trend and trends do not last long.
When the war with Ukraine broke out, the whole world was outraged for two months or less.
Then the world moved on, but the war is still raging till today and the human suffering
(06:08):
in Ukraine is still very real.
The same thing happens whenever natural disaster strikes.
It is the hot topic for a few days and then it's forgotten when those who are affected
or who were affected by the natural disaster are still very much living the aftermath and
the pain of loss.
(06:29):
In fact, and that's a sad truth, the only reason why people are bringing up the Ukraine
war again now is because of the war in Gaza and people have found the Ukraine-Russia analogy
to be a good one when discussing the Gaza war.
And so I know that soon enough the world will move on from the war in Gaza and hop on to
(06:53):
the next trend, while the suffering in Gaza and the West Bank will continue as it has
been doing for 100 years, until the next disaster strikes Gaza, if there is still a Gaza to
speak of by then.
But I get it, I mean, how long can one be angry and depressed at a war that is so far
(07:15):
away?
At some point it all becomes a bad dream or a scene out of a horror movie.
People all over the world now are taking to the streets to protest their cause and there
are so many causes.
Some are pro-Palestine, others pro-Israel and still others are simply anti-war.
(07:35):
And it is all heartwarming to watch and I hope that the people will be able to have
some influence with their governments in regards to their government's actions in this war.
Surely enough, when the African-American people took a stand on the streets with the Black
Lives Matter campaign, they were able to affect legislation to a large degree in the right
(07:57):
direction.
In fact, all minorities mobilized because of the BLM and we can see now legislation
in the US and Canada reflecting those movements by the people.
But I also know that in the Middle East and Asia and Africa, governments do not care how
many people demonstrate or what they demonstrate for.
(08:19):
I have yet to see one piece of legislation in those areas of the world that was enacted
because of the will of the people.
Let us hope that the mobilization of the people in the Western world puts some pressure on
their governments that would affect the outcome of the Gaza war.
And let us hope as well that this conflict ends soon with no further loss of life.
(08:45):
And this brings me to my wish for humanity.
And you're going to laugh at this because it is the same wish that all participants
in beauty pageants have.
You've guessed it.
My wish for humanity is world peace.
And I don't think you will know how deeply heartfelt this wish is until you have lived
(09:08):
through a senseless war that results in loss and ache and pain for everyone.
In the end, there is no winner in a war.
A government might win or consider itself it has won.
But the fact remains that war results in devastation and death and pain for everybody, for both
(09:34):
sides.
And so war is definitely inhumane and works against humanity and what humanity needs.
So yes, world peace.
And world peace can only be achieved through love, our love of one another.
As Nelson Mandela said, people must learn to hate.
(09:58):
And if they can learn to hate, they can be taught love.
For love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.
With these words, I come to the end of this episode.
Next week's topic shall be on the fear of the other.
So it's a bit of a spin off of this week's topic.
(10:21):
I hope you'll tune in then.
For now, I wish you a lovely weekend and I send you all my love.
Till next Friday.
Hello there, and welcome to Casual Fridays, the podcast where weekly themes are discussed
(00:08):
through personal experiences and anecdotes and some storytelling.
I am your host Dada, and this podcast is part of my I Read Aloud channel on YouTube, where
I read fairy tales, short stories, children's stories, poetry, letters, and some excerpts.
So if you enjoy such content, please make sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel.
(00:33):
You'll find me in the search box under at I Read Aloud, and you can also find me on
Instagram, TikTok, and X, all under the same name at I Read Aloud.
I also want you to know that this podcast airs every Friday on the following platforms,
YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Google Podcasts, iHeartRadio, Samsung Podcasts,
(00:59):
Podcast Index, Lucid Notes, RSS, and Spotify.
Today's episode is titled On Humanity.
This episode was triggered by the situation in Gaza, but it will not be centered only
on that catastrophe.
The episode shall be divided into four main parts, an introduction, the role of media
(01:25):
and social media in wars and other catastrophes, the role of governments versus the role of
the people in face of wars and people's rights, and the conclusion shall be my personal wish
for humanity.
I have to preface all this, however, by stating that I am an advocate for peace and that I
(01:48):
have already lived my share of wars in Lebanon.
Those of you who have listened to my second episode of this podcast, Life in War Shelters,
already know this, and it is needless to say that I do suffer from PTSD to the extent that
when a thunderstorm is brewing and the thunder is still far away, I pick up my ears and become
(02:12):
extremely alert, trying to decipher whether what I am hearing is in deep thunder or dreaded
bombshells.
And, of course, I curse when I jump out of my skin at the beginning of fireworks and
then realize that it's not an explosion.
And when I hear any aircraft, a helicopter or otherwise nearby, I brace myself for the
(02:37):
possibility that a missile would drop onto my building and that I would die.
And I only unclench when the aircraft is surely totally gone.
So if I experience all this now, 17 years after the last war was waged in Lebanon in
2006, just imagine what people who are actually stuck in a war right now are going through.
(03:05):
And there are so many wars being waged as you are listening right now.
There's the war in Gaza with Israel, the war in Ukraine with Russia, the war in Armenia
with Azerbaijan.
Then there are endless skirmishes in different parts of Africa.
So human suffering is very real and truly painful, especially in today's wars where
(03:27):
governments sit back and make destructive decisions without getting their hands dirty.
Before cannons were invented, cannons, gunpowder, rifles, you name it.
Before these were invented, battles used to be fought by sword or axe and by bow and arrow
(03:49):
at close proximity.
The lord or king who decided to go into battle would actually be present on the battlefield.
The battle would be fought and lost or won on the battlefield.
And when the king or lord dies or surrenders, the battle or war is over.
Now I am not saying that these wars don't have their atrocities too.
(04:13):
Sometimes armies would attack villages and burn them down and rape and pillage their
way to victory.
And not all wars ended with fleeing prisoners of war.
Sometimes no one of the opposing army was left alive.
So barbarism and ugliness have always been part of human nature.
(04:34):
What I am saying is that the invention of gunpowder, eventually cannons, has led to
today's sophisticated artillery.
Artillery that's being used for far-range destruction and killing would be not of a
head and the press of a button.
Those taking the decisions to go to war are all cozied up in their homes and offices and
(04:57):
take lives just like that, as if it's a business strategy or a contract to be signed to seal
the deal.
The only positive thing that is happening today amidst all this tragedy is the rise
of social media.
It has given a voice to everyone and no government can keep its atrocities hidden anymore.
(05:20):
If governments control mainstream media, social media cannot be controlled effectively.
Maybe the hosting platform could delete some posts, maybe it could freeze an account, but
in the end there are so many posts out there that it is a near impossible mission to silence
the masses these days, unless of course the internet is turned off.
(05:44):
My chagrin with both the media and social media however, is that it's all about the
current trend and trends do not last long.
When the war with Ukraine broke out, the whole world was outraged for two months or less.
Then the world moved on, but the war is still raging till today and the human suffering
(06:08):
in Ukraine is still very real.
The same thing happens whenever natural disaster strikes.
It is the hot topic for a few days and then it's forgotten when those who are affected
or who were affected by the natural disaster are still very much living the aftermath and
the pain of loss.
(06:29):
In fact, and that's a sad truth, the only reason why people are bringing up the Ukraine
war again now is because of the war in Gaza and people have found the Ukraine-Russia analogy
to be a good one when discussing the Gaza war.
And so I know that soon enough the world will move on from the war in Gaza and hop on to
(06:53):
the next trend, while the suffering in Gaza and the West Bank will continue as it has
been doing for 100 years, until the next disaster strikes Gaza, if there is still a Gaza to
speak of by then.
But I get it, I mean, how long can one be angry and depressed at a war that is so far
(07:15):
away?
At some point it all becomes a bad dream or a scene out of a horror movie.
People all over the world now are taking to the streets to protest their cause and there
are so many causes.
Some are pro-Palestine, others pro-Israel and still others are simply anti-war.
(07:35):
And it is all heartwarming to watch and I hope that the people will be able to have
some influence with their governments in regards to their government's actions in this war.
Surely enough, when the African-American people took a stand on the streets with the Black
Lives Matter campaign, they were able to affect legislation to a large degree in the right
(07:57):
direction.
In fact, all minorities mobilized because of the BLM and we can see now legislation
in the US and Canada reflecting those movements by the people.
But I also know that in the Middle East and Asia and Africa, governments do not care how
many people demonstrate or what they demonstrate for.
(08:19):
I have yet to see one piece of legislation in those areas of the world that was enacted
because of the will of the people.
Let us hope that the mobilization of the people in the Western world puts some pressure on
their governments that would affect the outcome of the Gaza war.
And let us hope as well that this conflict ends soon with no further loss of life.
(08:45):
And this brings me to my wish for humanity.
And you're going to laugh at this because it is the same wish that all participants
in beauty pageants have.
You've guessed it.
My wish for humanity is world peace.
And I don't think you will know how deeply heartfelt this wish is until you have lived
(09:08):
through a senseless war that results in loss and ache and pain for everyone.
In the end, there is no winner in a war.
A government might win or consider itself it has won.
But the fact remains that war results in devastation and death and pain for everybody, for both
(09:34):
sides.
And so war is definitely inhumane and works against humanity and what humanity needs.
So yes, world peace.
And world peace can only be achieved through love, our love of one another.
As Nelson Mandela said, people must learn to hate.
(09:58):
And if they can learn to hate, they can be taught love.
For love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.
With these words, I come to the end of this episode.
Next week's topic shall be on the fear of the other.
So it's a bit of a spin off of this week's topic.
(10:21):
I hope you'll tune in then.
For now, I wish you a lovely weekend and I send you all my love.
Till next Friday.
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