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To sympathize, or not?

November 17,2015 11:42

On Sunday, people in Yerevan were mourning for the victims of the terrorist attack that took place in Paris. It seems to me that it is a normal human manifestation. But, judging by some of the comments, it is an ostentation and hypocrisy. As a “wrong mourning” proof, various arguments are brought. For example, the terrorist attack was organized not by the “Islamic state”, bur Russia. Or, the United States. Or, the “Islamic state” actually was born in the US. Or, if the West had not begun messing Egypt, Syria, Libya and Iraq a few years ago, if “normal” dictatorial regimes were maintained there, then all these incidents would not have happened.

I do not know to what extent these allegations are right or wrong, but I do not understand well how all these considerations are associated with sharing the pain for innocent victims. If, let’s say, France behaved wrong in the Napoleonic wars, on Algeria or even the same Syrian conflict, so whether it is sufficient ground for murdering people who had come to a football match or a concert.

Generally, I do not understand the psychology of this constant “reverse”. “Why do you feel sorry for the victims of terrorism in Paris? And when …”, and then it is followed by a description of anther offense. Including, the Armenian Genocide. With this logic, we, Armenians, should not share anyone’s pain at all, reasoning that no country shared our pain 100 years ago. This is the phycology of an “eternal offended”.

Throughout the history of humanity, people were killing each other, in thousands and millions. It is folly, which involved all nations and all states in one way or another at various times. No current massacre can be justified by the previous massacres if the victims are innocent and crimeless people. How can the murder of innocent people be presented as “God’s punishment” or a “fair recompense” for the sins that these people have not committed? Or, even worse, if you have suffered and no one sympathized with me, then it will be “fair” that everyone suffers.

Human attitude must be displayed in all cases towards the representatives of all nations and states being in grief or distress, irrespective of whether those nations have ever hurt you or your friends or not. Otherwise, I see in these “backward glances” shades of wrongdoing, “you deserve it, and if ….” How can like-minded people be better than the terrorists?

Aram ABRAHAMYAN

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