The Planet is in Mourning: Humanity's Loss of Empathy in the Face of War
The Bridge Chronical - Fatima Peter, Syrian conflict, 02 Sep 2017

The Planet is in Mourning: Humanity's Loss of Empathy in the Face of War

In the chaos of our modern world, amid the cacophony of political rhetoric and the ceaseless churn of media sensationalism, it's easy to lose sight of the human cost of conflict. War has become routine, extinguishing human lives like insects, and empathy has become scarce. Today, we find ourselves committing atrocities in this world with alarming regularity, yet all too often, mercy and compassion disappear with little more than a collective shrug.

The recent conflicts in Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan, and Ethiopia serve as grim reminders of humanity's capacity for cruelty. In Gaza, the ongoing violence has claimed the lives of more than 30 thousand innocent civilians caught in the crossfire of a seemingly endless cycle of retaliation and retribution. On February 29, 2024, a day that should have been no different from any other,? Israeli soldiers mercilessly gunned down more than a hundred individuals simply for daring to seek out the most basic of human necessities: food and water.

Among the victims in this sad war was a five-year-old Palestinian child whose innocence and hope for the future were brutally snuffed out in an instant. In the aftermath of the attack, as the child lay grievously wounded, they uttered a heartbreaking plea to the attending doctor: "Death is better than being alive like this." It is a sentiment that speaks volumes about the unbearable suffering inflicted upon the most vulnerable among us and the profound sense of despair that permeates communities ravaged by conflict.

But while the bloodshed in Gaza may have momentarily captured the world's attention, it is far from an isolated incident. Across the globe, authoritarian leaders and populist demagogues wield power with impunity, exploiting the fears and prejudices of their constituents to further their agendas. From Putin to Maduro, Erdogan to Trump, and Netanyahu to Bolsonaro, these leaders prey upon the vulnerable, sowing division and discord for their gain.

Yet, amidst the darkness, there remains a glimmer of hope. Education, culture, and reason can transcend the barriers of hate and intolerance, reminding us of our shared humanity and our capacity for compassion. At our core, human beings are not creatures of violence and destruction but of cooperation, empathy, and love.

It is incumbent upon every one of us to resist the siren call of hatred and bigotry and to stand in solidarity with those who suffer in silence. Only then can we begin to heal the wounds that divide us and forge a path toward a more just and compassionate world. The planet is mourning, but it is not too late to turn the tide. Let us choose empathy over apathy, compassion over cruelty, and love over hate.


Below is a current list of the dictators and countries:

  • President Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai of Afghanistan
  • President Abdelmadjid Tebboune of Algeria
  • President Jo?o Louren?o of Angola
  • President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan
  • King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa of Bahrain
  • Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh
  • President Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus
  • Sultan Haji Waddaulah of Brunei
  • President évariste Ndayishimiye of Burundi
  • Prime Minister Hun Sen of Cambodia
  • President Paul Biya of Cameroon
  • President Faustin Archange Touadera of the Central African Republic
  • President Idriss Deby of Chad
  • President Xi Jinping of China
  • President Félix Tshilombo Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
  • President Denis Sassou Nguesso of the Republic of the Congo
  • President Miguel Diaz-Canel of Cuba
  • President Isma?l Omar Guelleh of Djibouti
  • President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi of Egypt
  • President Teodoro Mbasogo of Equatorial Guinea
  • President Isaias Afwerki of Eritrea
  • Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed of Ethiopia
  • President Albert-Bernard Bongo of Gabon
  • Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei of Iran
  • President Barham Salih of Iraq
  • President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of Kazakhstan
  • President Bounnhang Vorachith of Laos
  • President Nouri Abusahmain of Libya
  • Min Aung Hlaing of Myanmar
  • President Daniel Ortega of Nicaragua
  • President Kim Jong-un of North Korea
  • Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al-Said of Oman
  • Emir Tamim Al Thani of Qatar
  • President Vladimir Putin of Russia
  • President Paul Kagame of Rwanda
  • King Abdullah Aziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia
  • President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed of Somalia
  • President Salva Kiir Mayardit of South Sudan
  • President Abdel Fattah Abdelrahman Burhan of Sudan
  • King Mswati III of Eswatini/Swaziland
  • President Bashar al-Assad of Syria
  • President Emomalii Rahmon of Tajikistan
  • Chairman Losang Jamcan of Tibet
  • President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an of Turkey
  • President Gurbanguly Berdimuhammedow of Turkmenistan
  • President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda
  • King Sheikh Khalifa Nahyan of the United Arab Emirates
  • President Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan
  • President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela
  • President Nguy?n Phú Tr?ng of Vietnam
  • President Brahim Ghali of Western Sahara
  • President Abd Al-Hadi of Yemen

Larry Judd

Owner, Technician, Programmer at Sunland Computers

8 个月

"...empathy has become scarce." So true. Thanks for spotting these cruel and vile Presidents, Kings and Sultans. My opinion on war and hate (and crime) is that people use their religion as an excuse to implement these emotionally driven ills. Why I bring this up: You would hope that faith in and of leaders (churches or countries) would promote peace over war in the order to get the greatness and best case attitudes from the people who follow those morals. Unfortunately this world has melded into a money based power-structure. Without money and power a leader can not "protect" their country or faith. It should be the other way around: Without faith; by sharing, what the 'leaders' have in their back pockets, protection is only a concept.

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