An Epiphany: Humanity dwarfism causes suffering in South Sudan.
By Kur Wel Kur
“Epicureans thought politics was a needless cause of stress and anxiety. The masses are incurably deluded, and the powerful are incurably corrupt, so it’s best to withdraw from the state, set up your own philosophical commune, and pursue the good life privately.”
With the lack of scientific facts or ignorant of them (facts), rather, many educated people still race into saying, “we are the only political animals in the animal kingdom”. However, rationality must nullifies this stupid statement because animals such as chimpanzees, elephants and meerkats politicise their colonies. So in this article, I will use meerkats as models in my argument.
In meerkats’ colonies, the corruption and nepotism run their empires. For those with little or no knowledge of these animals, meerkats also occupy places such as Namib desert in Namibia, Angola and South Africa but Western scientists studied meerkats in Kalahari desert, Botswana, and their studies found that in any colony, those meerkats that decide or force to work hard all the times, do not relate to dominant or alpha female. No female questions the leadership of alpha female in the colony because to do this, is to invite expulsion from the colony or even death from alpha female. Meerkats are political animal. Dictatorship rules in meerkats’ colonies.
Behavioural biologists witnessed in alpha female, a ruthless behaviour; she practises infanticide in the colony. she only kills offspring of beta females or her grand kids (daughters’ offspring) to enhance the future of her own offspring and the subordinate females do the same to alpha female’s for the sake of their offspring in the colony. In meerkats’ community, selfishness and tyranny rule.
For such reasons, saying “we are the only the political animals” makes our ruling or our ruthless rulers to mingle with the likes of meerkats, chimpanzees and elephants. So when will humanity rules?
Meerkats’ politics failed most states of Africa. Humanity dwarfism shattered Somalia because political dwarfs, the likes of meerkats, magnified their political decisions in the lowest lenses of political microscope. Humanity dwarfs initiate tribal wars whereas humanity giants such as Abraham Lincoln, Gandhi, Martin Luther and John Garang waged humanity wars against economic and power minded politicians. When will we see our leaders die for humanity?
Visionary and altruistic leaders such as Gandhi, Martin Luther gave their lives, and leaders such as Kevin Rudd (the 26th prime minister of Australia), sacrificed their political careers for the welfare of their citizens. Kevin wholeheartedly say sorry to Aboriginals for the pains inflicted on them by first English to Australia, especially through stolen generation (you can google the stolen generation to understand more).
After saying sorry, Kevin, as a prime minister, became unpopular so his female deputy, Julia Gillard ousted him. Though he lost in his first and second comeback, his altruistic act seated him next to Gough Whitlam (the 21st prime minister of Australia), in the hearts of Aboriginals. Whitlam gave land rights (ownership) to Aboriginals. Visionary and altruistic politics ruled in Kevin.
In Africa, political dwarfism rules. Some countries wish other countries to fail so their ill-wishes made them rush into supporting the rebels of their neighbouring countries. North Sudan prioritises to help SPLM-IO in order to destabilise South Sudan. However, Arabs in the North must know a war in South Sudan blesses not the North Sudan because Darfur, Blue Nile and Southern Korodufan can over shadow the Nuers if we smile in faces of others’ suffering. When will epiphany that our successes depend on our coexistence, occurs to us?
Citizens must realise that their politicians possess no traces of humanity because their politics show no difference from other social animals such as meerkats. Until we, the common citizens, experience a ‘great realisation’ (epiphany), our political dwarfs will continue to meander among us with their inhumane policies.