
Monday Moaning, Humane Assessment!
Now before I continue I will like to add that the following text might be confronting and have opinions you might not agree with. You may call me racist or whatever comes to mind and you have fair right to do so. In the end I did make you think and had you create an idea and opinion by yourself.
So why this today?
Since a long time but getting worse again Europe is struggling with how to take care of refugees. In a small boat made for 20 men, 400 children and men are shoved to escape their country.
Hence the word ‘Humane’ in the title. Discussing what would be the bare minimum to be called humane. Additional to that is should we help? When is it enough?
Now to eve ask the question when is enough is an assessment and takes risk with them. Risk assessment or even safety assessment is a term that is very personal. But more on that topic later.
So what is humane? What do we need as a bare minimum to be living as a human?
IN past time through writing we heard that prisons used the term water and bread. As it had been said to be the least to keep us alive. Now I can say for sure that it is not a long term solution as people will die underfed, underweight due to lack of nutrition. And let us face it even in prisons the food has been improved to accommodate better to a set minimum. Conclusion made with a certain risk assessment.
Easy it is not, since every ones thought on the matter differs and to create a guideline is not easy then. So a roof, a bed, and some breakfast to be provided to refugees is at least something. In the camps the times are even worse and yet each who fled their country is okay with that since it is better than not having anything. That is a complete different way of thinking. It changes what is wanted and needed.
In Italy and even in the Netherlands refugees pretty much demand a home. Okay if it is an old house with ten beds in a room. They want a kitchen and food. I am sure these people in tents want the same thing ut are happy thy have a place to sleep and eat what is available. It is here where we like t consider what we need to do with boat loads of refugees.
No I am sure people are reading and saying that people escape wars and death. And we should help them. And true but when do we stop? Or when do we change course?
Syria in this case is a country at war with itself. We could also say why run when you started it. Okay maybe no the kids but what caused this?
Why would a crow like me have so much critique on the matter. And share his opinion here. Simple it is our taxpayers money that is pumped in those homes and wars. It is our homes they use and cause for us not able to find a place to live. Selfish yeah maybe. But okay let us say we will help.
Will we help those who threw their papers out in the ocean or urn soon as they reach land? After al they can claim they are from a country in war, sure we are not.
Should we give every refugee who makes it to the country a passport and change their citizenship.
These are assessments that take up a lot of time and is the big thing here in Europe.
Creating a bare minimum isn’t easy, writing down laws that state what would be considered humane is almost impossible as standards rise when economies rise. Can you go back to living in a tent? Never have warm water from a tap? Does one even try to imagine what we would be like without electricity? You can’t. So can you tell what humane would be or your bare minimum? Pretty sure it is way higher than what we used to be accustomed to.
Does this give a right to those who pop up across our borders to demand the same?
There is also something else with that last sentence. If they can demand the minimum how on earth did they risk many lives by being on a not to shabby boat. Risk assessment or safety assessment. What is the bare minimum to make it safe.
Even in construction there is a baseline we need to follow. Yet we are free to deviate from them at our own risk. A 10 foot beam, weighing a ton has to be hoisted with a certain chain in a particular angle. This is in order o lift it safely. Now circumstances might suggest that we need a change a chain or angle but all with in the safe zone. And here is where things start to differ. What is safe?
I might walk through a red light and consider it relatively safe for me. In the end it is the risk I take. Now you might stay and wait for he green.
What makes people step on a row boat made for 4 people max. (mind that is a number that is closest to the safety norm after well thought risk assessment.) It does mean 6 would do just as well but put you in a greater risk. But put 20 in the same boat and we do get a dilemma. Now we will help those who flip in middle of the ocean. As Marine laws apply for every boat and ship. Too help those in need.
Yet where do we go from there. Go home and if their feet hit dry land they achieved their objective. With all opinions like my own echoing through the cities of the country they land in.
Questions iike these bother some of us. What if they do not have their papers? They can keep on the move and end up in another country? When will they go back if they ever go back? As countries stay at war and for what. Should we keep taking in these who fled their country or should we at some point stop the war?
Mind what will happen to a country if only those who fought and sprayed blood across the land? Would that not create a military state? A country to fear as only fighters live there?
I am cruel when it comes to this kind of topics though I dare to ask when is it enough? What is the maximum we can handle. How far are we willing to go? Stop wars and refugees from existing? With us humane race it is highly unlikely. We differ to much and thus create ways to claim superiority.
I would like to help those who run and give them a safe haven. Though those without papers can’t claim and should not demand. We need ways to find a middle. Can we create a baseline?
Of that I am not sure either. Like me there are many others. Yet every country has its own ideas. And lets face it the country with the best minimum will be the one country refugees go for. But with so many countries worldwide it becomes an ideology and dream. One I do think of and try to create for my own.
Help them! Yes. Though they are not in any position to demand anything. Fish them up from the water? Sure. But if we decide to bring them back, who are they to argue? It isn’t easy is it?
So we have our humane minimum based on our own set society and welfare. Looking at the people who come running their own humane minimum is of a lower standard if we look relatively speaking.
Their prisons for example still have 20 in a cell and prisoners live on water and bread. Basically anything is better than that. Still they dare (and yes dare I say it) dare to demand a minimum higher than our own?
When is it enough? When do we stop or when do we start taking action? I still do not have a clear answer as so many claim to be refugees and yet we know nothing about their country they are running from. We do not know them as they own no papers. So where are they from? Question after question rises and no true answer will ever fulfil our need. Lets do our best to help those in need and make your own assessment to come to an ideal minimum.
What we want and need are two different things.