IT WAS very ironic. Two instances of horrific violence occurred in one of the most peaceful and peace-loving countries in the world last Saturday. An apparently mad, paranoid individual set off a bomb that killed seven people in downtown Oslo and later massacred 93 people, most of them children, in the island youth camp of Utoya.
It was the worst case of carnage in Norway since World War II and the deadliest day of terror in Western Europe since the Madrid bombings in 2004. Norway is a pacifist, peaceful country that hosts the annual Nobel Peace Prize awards. (The irony in the Nobel Peace Prize itself is that it was funded by Alfred Nobel, the man who invented the detonator or blasting cap for detonating nitroglycerin and igniting explosives.)
Notes on the article:
I know Norway because it is the home of Jostein Gaarder, the author of Sophie's World among others.The incident seems to reminds us that even the most peaceful places in the world can be infiltrated by violence which affirms that however unlikely a certain occurrence may be, the thing is, it is not impossible. Complacency, in this case can lead to a body count. After all, who would have thought of a murderous Norwegian when all the world knows only that Norway means peace?
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| Photo from www.time.com |
What would one think if this happened in the Philippines? From past happenings, murderous individuals suddenly committing serious felonies out of their whims are rare. What is common is that these individuals are elected into public office. There, they just don't suddenly unleash their murderous intent, they have time to plan, properly execute and emerge scot-free. The perpetrator, Anders Behring Breivik's madness pales in comparison to these people. Put side by side, Ander's move might have been saner. There are a lot of them so that if they would be killed, it would be a spree. Imagine that.
This Norway disaster is shocking, probably indelible from our memory and Norwegians realize that. In the Philippines, massacres do not appall the people anymore. In fact, over time, massacres become jokes, at least if you find the recent progress of investigations funny. Why, isn't the Philippines known for people who are able to laugh at their own misfortunes?
This Norway disaster is shocking, probably indelible from our memory and Norwegians realize that. In the Philippines, massacres do not appall the people anymore. In fact, over time, massacres become jokes, at least if you find the recent progress of investigations funny. Why, isn't the Philippines known for people who are able to laugh at their own misfortunes?
That's so funny I forgot to laugh.
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