Tribalism: A Dilemma

"Just remember, what comes around goes around. You plant a seed of tribal murder and hatred today it will soon harvest bitter fruit. You might not taste the harvest of this bitter fruit but your children and your future tribal generation will. They shall die and be persecuted for your sins."

"Firstly, when you get hold of the men of our opposing tribe, peel their skin off with the edge of your blade as their women and children watch. Secondly, make the women and children dig shallow graves with their bare-bear hands and bury their men either dead or alive but with their skin peeled off. Then finally, tell them we are the chosen and rightful tribe to rule this nation not lead but to rule. For just like two GODS can not core exist, two tribes looming for power can not core exist." These words were meant to empower us before we headed for the kill. They were meant to instill tribal pride, honor, tribal patriotism and self-confidence in us. We ignored the fact that these words were also meant to make us ruthless brutal murderers. 

How could a man utter such words from his mouth? I question it now. Were the words uttered out of a sense of bravery or fear? Though they were words to instill bravery, I can now sense the fear that was in that man when he uttered such words of 'bravery'. His bravery is believed to have haunted him after what he saw and executed. Behind closed doors, FEAR devoured his tribal pride and bravery. 

"This is it", I told myself. I continued, "We are getting what is ours back. The opposing tribe should perish, either way, we outnumber them. The resources and wealth they have will be ours. How can we have two governments in one nation based on the tribe? The former colonial government had one government based based on tribe. Which tribe was the most powerful? So we will continue with that system. This weaker tribe cannot rule with us just like both our tribes never ruled with the former colonial government so we have to wipe them out. After all, they do not belong here. They belong somewhere across our borders and deserve to be killed or pushed out like we did our former colonial government."

These words came from me, yet I believed them to be not mine. It sounded similar to someone's speech. Who?

"This is not it", I revoked myself. I continued, "You want to murder your fellow African brothers and sisters not because you want the scarce resources and wealth they have but because of tribalism. How will you live with yourself knowing that you became a murderer of your fellow Africans based on the tribe? The same tribe you united with to fight the enemy is the same tribe you are now uniting to murder? There is a better way to solve this conflict. Did you even listen closely to the words that were meant to 'empower' you? Where is the empowerment in that? You might go for the kill together but  

when you sleep at night in your beds. You will sleep each to his own and the question for you is this," Will you sleep in peace with the results of your actions?"

Was I ever at peace before I lost the peace after such horrid actions? Was it meant to bring peace after? If holding the blade was not bringing peace to me then to whom and for what?

                                         

"Kill or be murdered", I started 'empowering' myself, "Same skin color 

but different language. The Germans and the British had the same skin color but murdered one another during the World Wars. Wait! That is a far-fetched example. The British from England murdered the Irish yet they speak the same language. What about those with the same skin as us but a different language? Eurocentric tribalism, so there is nothing wrong with killing our opposing tribe. The Zulu murdered the Xhosa. What if the opposing tribe rebelled against us? Then you or your loved ones are caught up in collateral damage that you could have prevented now. Are you willing to walk in the future side by side with this inferior tribe and lie to each other that you are equal? If they are to become equal with you, they will someday push that equality into inequality against you and then use the minority tribal card to possess what you have. Are you afraid to take what is yours? This is not new, African tribes have been murdering each other from the beginning of time. Even GOD's people the Israelites or the Jews murdered people based on tribal wars. Israelites versus the Amalekites. See?"

Were we preventing collateral damage or creating it on purpose? Using assumptions of what could be to justify horrid actions of what is to become.

"Becoming a murderer on purpose", I examined myself, "You are taking the wrongs and the evils of the past to put them in the current context as an attempt to justify your actions and soothe your conscience. Where is the love? Where is humanity? Where is the logical thinking in that? You are dodging one important aspect and truth. The minority tribe you want to murder would not have taken up arms against you if you had not provoked it by all means. Just remember, 'what comes around goes around, you plant a seed of tribal murder and hatred today it will soon harvest bitter fruit. You might not taste the harvest of this bitter fruit but your children and your future tribal generation will. They shall die for your sins. Persecuted for their father's sins. Think if it was your tribe about to go through this unjustified persecution. Think if it were your children who were about to see their father have his skin peeled off and they watched. Then have to bury him. Is your conscience alert? Is this what you have become? Or what you have been made to become? You might not be the one to hold the blade to peel off the same skin color as yours, but you might be watching and hearing the wailings. 

Can you stand that? Relive that image and noise each day of your life right up into the afterlife. Peel your brother's skin like how you peel an orange? Your life after this will be either in a rehabilitation center/social care institution or a depressed alcoholic and drug abuser attempting to forget your actions. Either of the two paths that your life goes, just remember each remedy before, during and after will make you accountable to the actions of today. Can you live with yourself after reaping rewards based on your brothers' blood?"

No matter the outcome if you are under command deliver or get the job done. You will learn to live with the results of your actions. But can you live with regret all your life when you are held accountable directly or indirectly?

"It is time", I started concluding my 'preparation' talk and 'empowering' sessions, " Is your blade sharp enough for the peeling? Is your gun well-loaded? Does your bag have enough space to store the 'loot'? Do not worry yourself, you will not only sleep at night but rest at night. If you become depressed take anxiety pills. Either way what you are doing is patriotic. Two tribes can co-exist but the other must be politically, economically and socially dominant. That is how you balance power. Power is not balanced by equality, it is balanced by inequality."

Tribal patriotism is the worst disease you can be diagnosed with. It will consume you from the inside, make you 'whole' again and devour you more.

We did what we did. Just look at how it has affected the current status quo. Are we proud of our actions? Am I proud of my actions? The same tribe we marched, for now, despises our actions. I do not understand. Even though I had stood up and left, the outcome would have been the same. One absent unpatriotic tribal man would have never changed the course and outcome of it. Their wailing is 

still active in my mind but a combination of alcohol and anti-depressants gets the job done.

The bitter fruit is ready for harvest but I pray I do not taste it. Who plants and does not hope to reap what they sow? Now the tribal war is not based on physicality but digitally, economically, psychologically and socially.

How am I living with myself now?