Here are a few thoughts on dying at the hands of others.
WAR
Many wars center mostly on ownership of land:
Soldier A: “This is my land, not yours!”
Soldier B: “Oh yeah? Well if you don’t get off MY land I’ll kill you!”
Soldier A: “Oh yeah?” [kills Soldier B] “Well you’re dead now so it’s my land!”
This is a really stupid way of solving disputes, especially when dealing with land. The land does not have a lifespan – it was here before you were born, and it will be here long after you’re dead. Fighting over who “owns” it at this point in time is thus useless.
IDEOLOGY
Even worse than land disputes are ones that are based on ideological, philosophical and/or religious differences. These types of killings have long been among the most polarizing of conflicts because they never really achieve their original aims. Conversion or eradication of alleged heretics causes those that survive the massacre to feel even more hatred towards the killers. An enormous number of people have died in this manner; here is a short list (there are far more):
Shang dynasty human sacrifices, 1300-1050 BC: 13,000
Crusades, 1095-1293: 1.5 million
Various Christian Inquisitions, 1184-1860: 17,500
Aztec human sacrifices, 14th-16th centuries: 1.5 million
Native American massacres, 1492-1900: 100 million
French wars of Religion, 1562-1598: 4 million
30 years’ war, Roman Empire, 1618-1648: 11.5 million
Australian Aborigines massacre, 1788-1888: 650,000
Armenian genocide, 1914-1918: 1.5 million
Greek genocide of Muslims, 1919-1922: 702,000
Croatian genocide of Serbs, Jews, Roma, 1941-1945: 655,000
Nazi genocide of European Jews, 1941-1945: 6 million
Burundi genocides, 1972 and 1993: 150,000
Bosnian massacres, 1995: 8,000
US terrorist attacks, 2001: 3,000
This short list comes out to a grand total of 128,198,000. At least 128 million people have died because somebody else didn’t like their religion/race; the real total is probably a lot higher. Yet, however cruel humanity is to itself, our propensity for destruction cannot hold a candle to Mother Nature. Natural disasters such as floods, famine and disease have caused far more deaths:
Mount Vesuvius eruption, 79: 25,000
Antonine Plague, 165-180: 5 million
European famine, 1315-1317, 7.5 million
Black Plague, 14th-18th century: 100 million
Bengal famine, 1769-1771: 15 million
Indonesian volcanic eruptions, 19th century: 128,000
Irish (potato) famine, 1846-1849:1.5 million
Indian famines, 1876-78 and 1899-1900: 20 million
1887 Yellow River flood (China): 2 million
Ethiopian famines, 1888 and 1984: 2 million
Smallpox, 1900-1980: 300 million
Spanish Flu pandemic, 1918-1919: 100 million
Russian famines, 1921 and 1932-1934: 10 million
Bubonic Plague, 19th-20th century: 12 million
1931 China floods: 4 million
Asian Flu pandemic, 1956-1958: 4 million
Chinese famine, 1958-1961: 43 million
Measles, 20th century: 200 million
Malaria, 20th century-present: 250 million
Tuberculosis, 20th century-present: 100 million
AIDS, 1981-present: 25 million
Indian Ocean tsunami, 2004: 295,000
This total equals 1,201,438,000. That’s at least 1.2 BILLION that have died from the awesome power of nature. While it could be argued that some famines were caused by humans’ inappropriate farming methods and/or politics, most are usually ascribed to changing weather patterns – too much rain, too little rain, etc. You know, stuff that humans have absolutely no control over.
These incidents are why we should stop arguing amongst ourselves, and work instead towards making every living thing on the planet survive in harmony with each other and the environment. An impossible dream, you say? Only if you’re unwilling to try.
Resources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religious_war
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wars_and_disasters_by_death_toll
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_natural_disasters_by_death_toll