The True Value of Human Life

As a lawyer I was educated to believe that in the centre of the entire legal discipline rested the value of human life. Almost with the same dogmatic intensity with which my parents brought me up to cherish the notion of respect for the person next to me. The notion, as well as the conception of the value of the human life, as the cornerstone virtue that allows societies to perform and citizens to co-exist peacefully. The value attached to human life at some point even became a point of reference to segregate the modern from the underdeveloped world, a type of quality standard if you will, to indicate progress or stagnation, developed or underdeveloped geography. All of that was yesterday. Today I am waking-up to a different reality, where the value of human life is redetermined based on the cause of loss thereof. People die these days in a cruel variety of different forms, and yet, even the form of your death turns out to be some sort of indicator of the quality of life you had. Thus, it makes a huge difference if your death is due to an airplane accident, an ISIS attack, a traffic accident, war casualty or your common murdering which is lurking you on your way to work.

What is common though in all forms of it is the rise of violence at unprecedented levels. Societies in discontent, looking for an outlet, resorting to violence. A political cause, suffocated by the disguised dictatorship that has taken on the form of Democracy in most countries these days, sees no other way to express itself, other than through violence and terror. War conflicts, ever more often the result of poor and provocative politics rather than the outcome of prudent political dialogue that has dead-ended blind themselves and lose the ability to separate between soldiers and civilian casualties. Former petty crimes that were omnipresent in almost every society have upgraded to heavier and more serious forms of crime with the frequent display of total disregard for the value of human life. Two weeks ago, a young woman at the age of 32 was murdered while paying respects to a deceased friend in the cemetery for 25 Euros. A month ago, a fellow colleague was murdered in his office by alleged clients who turned out to be criminals taking their instructions from within the Capital's prison. Repeated Kalashnikov attacks in the city centre targeting the police force on duty. Next to by-passers. During rush hour. The expression of being "in the wrong place at the wrong time" is gaining new popularity these days with a global insanity spreading like a fast and contagious virus. 26 killed in a church in the US, while ISIS fanatics are taking driving lessons that turn-out fatal for the unsuspecting. Invisible warfare all over the planet, and not even the safety of your own home can provide peace of mind. Every time the front-door of our building opens, our senses sharpen and our eyes convert into body scanners. Every time our plumping or electrics need fixing in the house, we fear the moment when the strange technician will cross our doorstep and our senses are all alerted. First we will ask your friends if they can recommend someone they know, almost similarly to the KYC procedures that Banks apply before accepting a new client. Complete distrust is the new norm of interaction.

There was a time, long ago, when I first came to this country where 98% of its inhabitants were indigenous. Today, even raising the argument renders you a racist. Multi-culturalism in an unprecedented frenzy, which ended-up not only blending cultures but foremostly sub-cultures and nurturing hatred and intolerance. God forbid when I get on a plane and a guy in the front row has a different skin colour. True outburst of panic and total unease throughout the flight. And every time I find myself in a public place and I see women all covered up with headscarfs I can't help feeling that emotion of regression as a species. Change management comes to mind and I openly admit that my discomfort reaches new levels every time I see a foreigner conducting himself in my country with total disrespect for it. When I become witness to the devaluation of the flag by both equally, my government, as well as by anyone else who hates my country for undefined reasons and burns it publicly. It insults me deeply and it saddens me when my Micky Mouse PM offers it in ceremonial fashion to a child from Afghanistan, because someone allegedly left a paper-sign in front of the boys door telling him to "go home", as some type of restitution for the injustice suffered, all the while everyone with a functioning brain understands the political gesture behind it and the ulterior motive of public consumption. At the same time, a 16-year old Greek girl, whose head was brutally smashed against a rock on the island of Paros by another Afghani man after attempting to rape her has gone unnoticed by the same PM, leaving the girl mentally disabled and the family unprotected and incapable of even covering the costs for medical treatment. Selective justice, double standard when it comes to assessing the value of each's life. That is the strongest sign for this society's irreversible decline.

I was born and raised as an immigrant myself but what I have nurtured within me is the total respect and immense gratitude for the society that opened up to me and turned me into something better than my original fate had in store for me. A functional society that is, with solid foundation, in education and values. Exactly the opposite of where I am today. Punished by the blessing of knowing the better version of things. And missing it from my current reality. Crimes in-progress, committed either through action or by omission.