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In the 17th Century, a French Philosopher by the name of Rene Descartes once said, "I think therefore I am." At the time this described it all. It gave the human race faith to believe we were actually alive, and actually here for a reason. What we didn't know was that centuries later this very quote would be contradicted in the harshest of ways. Three hundred years later, the twentieth century, the time of modern World History and this inspirational quote seems almost a joke. The time period: 1950-1980 brought many benefits. From cultural developments to civil rights movements. This time is considered as a time of "growth" in all societies, especially in the United States. However, with every good story comes a malevolent twist. During this time period several acts against humanity were prevalent. From genocides, to government policies, this time in history has provided concrete evidence that humans can yet in fact forget their humanity and act viciously against one another. How can this famous quote stand true when millions of people are being slaughtered by their own kind? How can one think for ones self when he/she is being tortured or subjected under harsh communistic rule? The human race is compassionate, loving and respectful of each other, but in certain circumstances, individuals, or we as a people can forget our basic morals and commit severe acts of murder without feeling the least bit concerned.
In the mid 1950's Pol Pot, the new leader of the Cambodian people developed a communist party, known as the Khmer rouge, after Cambodia's independence from France. He came with the ideas of "saving" the Cambodians from their economic and cultural slump, and had goals of setting them on the right track. What happened was quite the contrary. Pol Pot's new party, the Khmer Rouge acted like an elite killing force, quite similar to the SS officers of Hitler's regime or any other secret police of the totalitarian rulers of the 1940's. They slaughtered the innocent people of Cambodia, sometimes brutally by methods of torture; other ways were quick and easy like lining many of them in a line and shooting them to their death. Some types of torture included hanging prisoners from their hands while beating them; others included more psychological techniques like dunking the prisoners' heads in buckets of water after they said something intolerable. How can this be humanity? An estimated total of about three million people were killed during this time period. How can we stand to treat each other like this? This is because of rulers like Pol Pot who saw the opportunity to use his powers to an extent that should not have been tampered with. He went too far, with his authority, executing anyone that seemed "different" or that stood in the way of his party's ideals. This is a perfect example of how human beings can forget they are human.
Vietnam, one of the worst wars in United States history. Countless American soldiers blindly entered the war, waging deep into Vietnam's tough jungle habitat to commence battle. Besides the fact that this war was extremely violent, killing many American troops along with Viet Kong soldiers, this war alludes to something else. One incident comes to mind, is when American soldiers ravaged villages and took people as prisoners. The American GI's burned down their houses and destroyed almost all of their belongings. Some soldiers went to such extremes where murder was an option. Even though the Viet Kong raised their hands in surrender some GI's put a bullet to their head. This kind of mindless slaughter is not, and should not be acceptable, no matter the circumstances. Because the American soldiers had a lack of authority and were quite frustrated with their surroundings, they forgot their humanity and punished the people of Vietnam in a morally corrupt manner.
"I think therefore I am." In most cases this is true, unless you were subjected under the rule of the Soviet Union throughout parts of the 1940's, 50's and later into the 80's. How can you be someone, when your thoughts, action and rights are controlled by a higher power/government? How can this quote stand valid, when you are told what to think and pressured into acting the way the government wishes. During this time period, some parts of the Soviet Union showed the ability to annihilate the human spirit through their government strategy: communism. This shows that human beings can forget they are human because the rulers of the Soviet Union subjected their own countrymen to a government plan that involved revocation of natural born rights.
Ever since Israel was made a Jewish state in 1948, there has been a constant struggle and never ending "war" between the Israelis and the Palestinians. The situation has gotten to the point where terrorist acts against civilians are common strategies of damaging the enemy. It has gotten to the point where children are used as human sacrificial bombs to just kill a few of the enemy. Is this humanity? Is this the ideals we want our world to be based upon? That when we want something we must show acts of "courage" by giving up innocent lives? No. And no there isn't any justification for such atrocious acts. However, it does suggest that in times of war and struggle, when all options are ruled out, human beings have the tendency to leave their consciences at the doorstep and make everyone out to be their enemies. Humans can in fact forget their humanity, and this is yet another demonstration.
From reading this paper one can notice that our world history has had its "bumps in the road." With examples such as the Cambodian genocide, the Vietnam War, the Soviet Union and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, one can see that human beings do have their share of flaws. When we were created, we weren't intended to fit the role of the perfect species. We fight, we kill, we demoralize and we can even forget. Forget those that are so close to us, and even forget that all human beings share a bond, a bond tied deep down in our souls. A bond that in some cases can be broken. And in these four examples, this bond was betrayed. Whether it be a ruler who oppressed an entire people, or whether it was an American fleet that burned down a Viet Kong village, these were all examples of our ability as human beings to forget what is so dear to us…our humanity.
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