As we rewind back 2015, it has been a year to forget for us
all in terms of casualties. Looks like many involved in these forgettable
events are more interested to cause havoc rather than having sympathy for
people and the places we live in. I’m not here to say who is wrong or right and
definitely not going to be on anyone’s side here. Things happen due to
something that has occurred which has led to the consequences that follow.
Below are the incidents that have happened throughout the year in which that
has left a sorrowful impact on those involved. I’ll be focusing on incidents
that happened due to cause of a fellow human and not Mother Nature.
Jan 7 - Charlie Hebdo Attack
This tragic shooting in Paris occurred on the morning of
January 7th where the French satirical newspaper was attacked by
Yemen’s Al Qaeda branch as a payback for the illustration of the term ‘Allah’ published
in the newspaper many years ago. Eleven people were killed during the attack on
the media outlet.
Feb 4- TransAsia Airways Flight 235 Crashes on Highway
Just 37 seconds after taking off and reaching
an altitude of 1,200 feet, the TransAsia Airways Flight 235 crashed on a
highway in Taiwan. The right engine had failed before the pilot turned off the
left one manually. The plane couldn’t glide and crashed on the highway, and
continued its way into a nearby river. Of the 58 people on board, only 15
survived. Innocent lives were lost due to poor maintenance of the flight.
March 24 - Germanwings
Flight 9525 Crashes into the French Alps
The Germanwings Flight
9525 departed from El Prat Airport in Spain and was on route to Düsseldorf
Airport in Germany but it never reached its destination. The plane crashed into
the French Alps. All 150 people on board were killed. The crash was executed by
the co-pilot, who had been diagnosed as unfit for work because he was severely
depressed and suicidal. He had kept the information for himself and never
informed his employer. After the incident, many countries implemented a new
regulation that two authorized people must be present in the cockpit
at all times, in order to prevent such tragedies from ever happening
again.
April until now -
The Refugee Crisis
The refugee crisis
is also known as the European Migrant Crisis which started back in April 2015
when five boats sank in the Mediterranean Sea, which killed around 1,200
refugees coming mostly from Syria, Afghanistan and Eritrea. The refugees
are fleeing their countries due to violent conflicts in North Africa and Middle
East, seeking asylum into European countries. The number of forcibly displaced
people worldwide reached 59.5 million at the end of 2014, the highest level
since World War II. The most recent event that went viral in the media was the
death of 3-year-old Syrian boy who drowned in the Mediterranean Sea. Because
his family was trying to reach Canada, his death immediately became an issue in
the 2015 Canadian federal election, forcing the government to promise the
welcoming of more refugees.
August 26- Reporter
and Cameraman Killed Live On TV
Yes, you didn’t read
that title wrongly. This is an absolutely shocking incident that happen in
Virginia, US. A bitter ex-television reporter, carrying a handgun and a
homicidal rage two years after his ugly firing, made himself the lead story
complete with the shocking video. The tormented journalist emptied his gun into
an ex-colleague and the cameraman from point-blank range Wednesday as a live
audience watched the double homicide over morning coffee. The remorseless
killer actually videotaped the slaughter, posting a 56-second clip on social
media sites such as Facebook and Twitter before killing himself as Virginia
State Police closed in about five hours later.
November 13 – Paris
Attacks
This tragedy in
Paris was probably the most shocking of the lot. It was a series of coordinated
attacks that involved three suicide bombers near the Stade de France followed
by mass shootings near restaurants, cafes and concert halls. The attack killed
130 people including 89 at the Batalacan theatre where they were taken as
hostages. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) claimed responsibility
for the attacks stating that it was in retaliation for the French airstrikes
targets in Syria and Iraq. Others claimed it to be an act of war or start of a
potential World War 3.
These incidents
above show that no matter our position, religion or country we live in, the
world is not a safe place anymore. The implications show what a human is
capable of doing to another human being either in the form of deliberately, indirectly,
carelessness or outright head on vicious attacks. The thought of me writing
this came when someone asked me ‘Are you afraid of ghosts?’ For now, as far as
I’m concerned, I’m more afraid of fellow human beings and what they are
capable of. It’s just a matter of being at the wrong place at the wrong time. It
is worrying to see how we have made our earth to be in. You don’t open a random
newspaper every day and see humans getting killed by any ghost or demons. It’s
more and more of humans killing each other that are flooding the news almost
every single day. No matter which faith you are in, there is believe that God
will come again to the earth to end everything. From the rate we are going,
there is no need for that, as humans ourselves will kill and destroy our
beloved world. It looks like it’s just a matter of time now. Hoping that the
year 2016 will be a more peaceful year compared to 2015.
