I didn't see a thread on this, but I just want to say how bad I feel for the Christians of Sri Lanka.

I may not be a fan of religion but I support their right to have safe places of worship.

People should not be targeted with violence at their churches (or anywhere else). There have been too many stories like this.

It's bad enough we have natural disasters, illnesses and poverty (I could add more). The continuing warring nature of humans, targeting a religious holiday or group, is really disappointing and sad.

I was going to make a joke (still might!) about how weird it is that there is violence in religion, when it's not even a real sport, like soccer. We deplore soccer hooliganism, but we 'get it'... Too much time, too much beer, and easily identifiable enemy, whose star players we know and hate, mob mentality, etc.

But religion isn't a team sport, really. There are no games, and about the only way to keep score is by counting adherents. Maybe if they competed on the basis of miracles, or conversions?

I suppose it's all about the competing ghawds. Christians only seem to attack another Christian church when racism is a component.

But it appears that some adherents decided to take it personally that someone doesn't worship THEIR ghawd!!

Which is why so many of us who flew a lot in the 80s and 90s, and had a brownish skin tone, learned how to say Allahu akbar with a Saucie smile and a Saudi accent...

It is being reported that the Sri Lankan government is shutting down some American social media sites in their country because of the perception that these social media sites are being used to "spin up" violence.

Spreading rancor and hatred at a high rate of megabits per second...

Sri Lanka (formerly: Ceylon), home to Arthur C. Clarke (British author, most memorably of 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, who was a long-time, permanent, resident of Sri Lanka) will always have a special place in my heart, and I mourn for all those who have died, and all those who have been injured.

I wish all of this would stop.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 04/22/2019 12:20AM by Tevai.

Tevai Wrote
>
> I wish all of this would stop.



Trying to maintain hope is difficult.

At least 44 children were killed in the bombing.

This is just one of their heartbreaking stories. It is so tragic the lost potential in even one of these young lives.

"A fifth-grade student from Washington, D.C., was among the victims of the deadly Easter Sunday bombings in Sri Lanka that killed at least 321 people and injured 375 others.

Kieran Shafritz de Zoysa, who would have turned 12 in August, was on a leave of absence from Sidwell Friends School to study and live in Sri Lanka, where his mother is originally from."

He wanted to become a neuroscientist who finds a cure for Alzheimer's. His father believed he would have, had he lived.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/5th-grader-prestigious-washington-d-c-school-among-victims-sri-n997291

I find all this tribal behavior frightening and frustrating.

If it is true (no evidence apparently behind the headline yet) that this was retaliation for Christchurch, could this become a Christian vs. Muslim wave (again)? I hope it is not as much religious but more a clash of centuries and western civilization. The point is, humans cling to their traditions and react violently to threats against it.

Also I read that the right wing is rising in places like Sweden presumably resulting from the influx of immigrants.

If humans are so tribal and in need of sorting themselves by groups, should we prioritize dealing with the problems that are causing the people to leave their homelands so they can stay where they are or focus on trying to make people accept the "others" into their own groups?

I don't think we can stop the tribal behavior we humans exhibit. We don't trust "others" and don't like threats to the way we are used to doing things. Or is it only a competition for resources as we continue to grow in numbers as a species?

Sorry for the ramble. I cannot lower my expectations enough when it comes to human behavior. I try to focus on the great things humans have done, but darn, they continue to disappoint.