Nepal’s recent devastating floods have not only revealed the wrath of nature but have also exposed the darker side of human beings.
A storm of condemnation has erupted after a video circulated on social media showing someone removing jewellery from the dead body of a woman who was killed in the floods.
Such incidents, however, are not entirely new during times of disaster. In some places, homes of people in distress are looted; elsewhere, instead of rescuing those in danger, there is a competition to photograph them and circulate the images on social media, or a tendency to watch helpless people suffer rather than stand by them.
Against such a backdrop, it is natural to ask: where does the “humanity within human beings,” or human restraint, disappear at moments of crisis? The greatest mark of civilization is revealed in times of adversity.
It is easy to be compassionate in good times, but sacrificing one’s own interests for others in difficult times is a much harder test. Are we passing that test in the present day?
This kind of cruelty is no longer merely a feature of disasters; rather, it is becoming an everyday reality of social life. Family disputes are leading to attacks on loved ones, trivial incidents are resulting in deadly conflicts, cases of people taking the law into their own hands in groups are increasing, and insults and hatred are being spread across social media.
The overall result seems to be that the very walls of human tolerance are gradually collapsing. Recently in Jashore, following a family dispute, a teacher allegedly severed his mother’s head with a boti [a traditional curved cutting blade].
Some may argue that wars and conflicts, economic uncertainty, unemployment, social inequality, and political instability can increase psychological stress, while uncertainty about the future can intensify frustration and anger among people.
This argument is not without merit. For this reason, the World Health Organization has also identified economic security, social protection, employment, and policies aimed at reducing inequality as important measures for preventing violence.
Yet the question remains whether times of crisis can serve as a license for cruelty and brutality. After all, responsibility increases during a crisis; it does not decrease.
This is something we can observe in developed societies. In those societies, crisis and disaster management is not confined merely to rescue operations. Rather, it becomes part of an integrated system encompassing the maintenance of law and order, protection of property and resources, safeguarding vulnerable communities, emergency communication, speedy justice, and much more.
As a result, disasters and calamities do not leave the door open for criminals to exploit the situation. Our society, too, needs to strengthen a culture of compassion, self-restraint, and civic responsibility.
Everyone should remember that the law can punish a criminal, but it cannot install an “artificial mechanism” of conscience, values, and self-control inside a person. To eliminate the violence within human beings, education in values is essential.
Throughout history, wars have come, famines have struck, pandemics and economic depressions have occurred; yet civilization has repeatedly moved forward, rising from the ruins of destruction. In other words, crises and problems are never permanent.
Rather, how people behave during times of crisis is what ultimately determines the future of a nation. And that is why, in today’s turbulent times, the thing we need most is “patience”.
Restraint instead of anger, justice instead of revenge, unity instead of division, and humanity instead of greed—these are far more essential for society today when its very existence is at stake.
Almighty Allah has advised people to remain patient in times of hardship. Therefore, no matter how great a disaster may be, we must remain vigilant so that it does not consume the human being within us.
A disaster may wash away homes, a war may destroy cities, and an economic crisis may make life difficult; but if people forget how to stand by one another, will any further disaster really be necessary to destroy that society?
