Rebellious by Nature

Thankfully, this phase of spite and rebellion doesn’t last a lifetime. Most of the time, it fades into the background — and eventually into the dustbin of development.
And honestly? That’s often not such a bad thing.

No, it’s not the pettiness I value — it’s the spirit of revolt in people: the defiance, the outrage against events that should never be tolerated. That refusal to accept the unacceptable.

And the undisputed champion of resistance? Humanism. The very foundation of our shared humanity — the quiet voice that, time and again, crawls out from the rubble of our worst atrocities and quietly offers its services.

What do I mean by that?
Perhaps a brief look back — at wars, tragedies, and the collapse of entire nations and societies — can help.

Take South Korea, for example, stumbling through the 20th century between war, chaos, and renewal. First came Japan’s colonial rule, which lasted a full 35 years. Then, the Korean Peninsula was artificially split into North and South. After decades of conflict and dictatorship, South Korea pulled itself up, achieved an economic miracle, transformed into a functioning democracy, and creatively launched the so-called Korean Wave — K-pop, K-dramas, and Korean cinema — captivating the world.

Germany, too, rose from utter ruin after the war, struggled through its own economic miracle, and eventually remade itself into a model democracy.

Japan, in 1945, lay in ashes after two atomic bombs. Yet it, too, embraced democracy and grew into one of the world’s largest economies.

Rwanda endured an unimaginable genocide in 1994. And yet — the country and its people recovered, socially and economically. Today, Rwanda is considered one of the safest and cleanest countries in Africa.

Is that all?
Oh no. Let’s not forget the federation known as the USA. Even there, North and South were deeply divided on how the nation should be run. The bloodiest conflict in American history claimed up to 750,000 lives — in just four years, between 1861 and 1865.

And then? Reason returned — bringing hope and reconstruction in its wake. The humanist-inspired constitutional amendments were nothing short of remarkable: slavery was officially abolished, equal protection guaranteed for all — naturalized or born — and discrimination against voters based on race or skin colour was outlawed.

It seems that not only individuals, but entire nations, sometimes need to pass through a dark, brutal, and dehumanizing chapter before they can wake up, reflect, and reform.

In these times, states and governments resemble a child who passionately builds a sandcastle — only to destroy it moments later.
Pointless and foolish, reason would say. Probably.

Yet a look across human history reveals a constant: humanism.
It’s not always present — sometimes it sleeps, is silenced, or simply absent.
But when the moment calls, it returns — refreshed, ready, and resolute.

And history also tells us this: people are fundamentally good.
Not inherently cruel, power-hungry, murderous, or authoritarian.
But some, it seems, never got the memo.

In times of creeping hopelessness, I keep returning to this beautiful trait of our species — the humanist gene.
And now, as a naturalized Canadian, I hold even closer to the Maple Doctrine:
Be kind.