WHAT IS HUMANITARIANISM?
BEFORE THE TRIP
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AFTER THE TRIP
In the past I have stated that the definition of humanitarianism never changes from the core of what it is. I stand by that. I still believe that humanitarianism means some sort of elaborated and varied version of treating people humanely. However, I never realized how deep humanitarianism could go in addition to how many factors play into it. I was also naïve in my understanding of how deeply altered humanitarianism can affect people. Humanitarianism is one of those things that you cannot fully understand until you experience a variation of it first hand. So in experiencing an altered version of my definition of “humanitarianism” and figuring out how it affected me and my views I would say that while the core of humanitarianism remains unchanging there are variations of it and that it is really the word “humanely” that we struggle to define. At the core of a human we are all the exact same. What makes us different is the conditions we are placed in. So shouldn’t we all be treated the same? I think that the answer to that would be “yes” and I think that is how most would answer but that isn’t accurate. How I think someone should be treated could be, and at times will be, completely different than how the person next to me thinks people should be treated. It all depends on our individual morals and values and a million different other things that make people think the way we do. So I can say that we should all be treated the exact same but when it comes to defining how it is exactly that we should be treated, there will never be a concrete answer to that. To me humanitarianism means that everyone should go about their lives feeling safe regardless of where they are or what they are doing and they should go to bed still feeling safe in a comfortable bed. It means that everyone’s health and nutrition requirements are fulfilled in entirety including water needs. Humanitarianism means that everyone has some sort of support system and that everyone attempts to understand another’s situation. The cliché “treat others how you want to be treated” applies perfectly to my definition of humanitarianism. It also means that everyone has a way of achieving happiness. What makes an individual happy can vary, but ultimately humans should have the ability to go after and obtain what it is that makes them happy. While my core view of humanitarianism has not changed, the emphasis that I put on it in my own life as well as my understanding and acceptance of what it is to me and how I will portray it to others has become much more distinct and enhanced. |