Day 51 Some thoughts from the Japanese hostage incident

Some thoughts from the Japanese hostage incident

Yesterday, another Japanese hostage Kenji Koto was beheaded by the jihadist terrorist group ISIS. This brave journalist was the second Nipponese hostage being slaughtered after their government refused to pay the ransom and release the prisoner of a suicide attack. Although the Japanese government condemns ISIS has performed a heinous and brutal crime, the ordinary Nipponese citizen did not seem to care much about their own people. Maybe due to their optimism, they even started a photo shop competition online around the released picture of two hostages holding by a masked terrorist. Personally, I think that is an inappropriate action when their own people is in danger. 

Some Japanese citizen seems to be indifferent on these two hostages, probably due to the ignorance in the modern society. The technology advancement innovated people’s social life, hence people are able to maintain their social relationship on the Internet. However, it draws people’s attention away from the vulnerable group as well as our neighbors. Therefore, people tend to be careless about the others and concentrate on their own business. I think the care of other people’s welfare can be interpreted as seeking potential relationships with those who share the same interest. The incentive for people to develop relationships within the society is based upon the requirement of communication. The social network resolve that needs, so people will avoid the extra effort cost to show love and care towards strangers. Obviously, a portion of Japannese people are affected by this pattern, thus they creat a strong demonstration effect. As we know, people are social animal, hence we act according to the community value. When people all around these Japanese citizens show indifference about this hostage event, they will not take it seriously as well. Consequently, they can perform their humor without incurring any cost such as guilt feeling on ethical norm. In addition, addition, the first hostage was an adventurer who is a mercenary in another term. Japanese people may consider his experience as taking the consequences of his own deeds. They treat this event as a news without having many actual feelings about it. However, this incident might expose some issue in Japan about the national identity. Despite these two hostages’ characteristic, they are Japannese citizen in the first place. 

At the end, I believe most of Japanese people are shock by this tragedy and willing to mourn for these two gentlemen. I wish people can show more love and care not only with their family and friends, but also around them. I hope all of us can be rational, and solve the conflict in a peaceful way, instead of murder and terrorism.