There’s no easy way around it. We live in an ugly world. Since the mass shooting in Las Vegas on Oct. 1 that claimed 59 lives, there has been one prevalent question in the minds of Americans — why?
Well, the harsh reality sometimes is that there isn’t any particular rhyme or reason why someone can do something so awful. It’s like expressions like “the whole nine yards.”
Sometimes, there just isn’t a logical explanation of where a phrase began or what it actually means, just like sometimes there isn’t a logical explanation for terror.
But maybe there is one obvious explanation — one that humanity has been trying to distance itself from for a long time — we are a violent species and sometimes there doesn’t need to be a concrete reason as to why.
Look back at our history. Go way back. It doesn’t matter how far you go. Violence has always been prevalent among human beings.
I, for one, love history. In particular, I’ve always been drawn toward history involving war. A lot of people are fascinated in studying a lot of our more recent wars, particularly the two world wars. But I’ve always been drawn to war involving less developed nations and tribes.
I minored in history in college and my two favorite courses were History 101, which focused on history until the death of Jesus Christ and made me decide to pick history as my minor, and Mississippi History, which focused more on the state’s history before it was actually a state.
Why those particular two subjects? Because the history of the young nations and different Indian tribes is spattered with ruthless acts of violence.
Now, let me be clear about this, I don’t condone or enjoy violence and am not a violent person by any means. But it always fascinated me how truly ruthless mankind was before modern technology.
There were countless examples of nation states literally butchering entire villages of men, women and children for any number of not-so-good reasons. There was only one true constant throughout these lessons — they killed each other because they were different from one another.
The same thing happens today. Look at any and all of the wars. You could travel to a country America is at war with during any time period and find people in that country you get along with and generally like. But yet, on the battle field, they are the sworn enemy because they are different.
As much as our society, as a species, claims to encourage individualism, people don’t like different. At every turn, whether it be in business, religion or war, humanity despises different. It’s a fact.
There’s no way around it. And since we are, and have always been, a violent species, bad things continue to happen and always will. There is no cure for humanity.
Human beings have walked the earth for thousands of years, but yet we are still fighting the same battles today as we were back then.
Unfortunately, that’s never going to change.
Reach Sports Editor Joshua Campbell at 736-2611 or joshuacampbell@columbianprogress.com.
