"Can we go back?" [Writer's contest 3]

The reporter asked him, "why are you sitting here?". Looking at his face, you will find out that this little boy is not more than 6 years old.  The little boy replied, "Bashar Al-Assad has killed and robbed us, what did we do to him? (he tries to hold back tears, but he is failing pretty badly. He continues...) what did we do to him?... we just sit here and drink water... Bashar has robbed us, destroyed our homes, we have nothing to wear - he has destroyed everything!.

I watched this thirty second second clip over and over again and my heart broke every single time. Now I'm asking myself, what happened to us? What happened to love? A very high percentage of the world's population practices one religion of the other and every religion on earth preaches love, how come we don't have it anymore (or at least portray it) How can a government watch innocent children cry? We go to war and if you aren't with a gun then you are collateral damage.

Why does the most have to suffer for the recklessness of the highest few?. Did this 6-year old choose to go to war?. These questions and more I asked myself. Maybe we should go back, but can we go back? Can we go back to being human beings?. For the Christian brothers and sisters, we believe that Jesus Christ died for us. Can we go back to being the people that were worth his dying? Were we ever worth it? Can we go back? Can we go back to a time before tribalism ate into the fabric of Nigeria?.

A time where regardless of your geo-political zone we all sat down collectively to tackle threats to our great nation. Can we have a time where the world tackles terrorism in Paris, Syria and Bornu with the same vigour?. Where Nigerian politicians aren't selfish but take decisions looking at the bigger picture. Can we have a time where the Nigerian police respects people? Where they don't attempt to do their jobs only when they are broke. Where they realise that they are there for a purpose and not for their own purse. Where a badge and uniform meant service and the Nigerian police wasn't your enemy, bully or extortionist.

Sometimes I feel we have forgotten what it feels to be human. What a father feels when he holds his fragile 6-month old baby in his hands. What a mother feels when her baby calls her "mummy". What it is for a teacher in Detroit to donate his kidney to his student. What it feels for a teacher to swim miles everyday to get to his pupils. What it is for Dr. Stella Ameyo Adadevoh to die in the course of preventing the spread of Ebola or for that Nigerian soldier to die trying to protect his fellow comrades from a land mine.

Can we go back to being human beings? Can we go back to loving one and other? Can we?...

NAME:  Raphael Omeh