THIS is with reference to the report ‘Slain mosque guard hailed as hero after US shooting’(May 20), according to which two teenagers opened fire at a mosque in San Diego in what appeared to be a hate crime. Racism and all other bigoted sentiments are typically environmentally developed or acquired during childhood. Children must be encouraged to interact with other races, cultures and faiths in a harmoniously positive manner. This is the only sane way to prevent the global march towards utter insanity.

Meanwhile, mostly relevant to the social and political turmoil seemingly everywhere are the words of American sociologist Stanley Milgram (1933-1984) who conducted a landmark study comprising psychological experiments “to understand banality of evil”. Writing later, he said: “It may be that we are puppets —  puppets controlled by the strings of society. But at least we are puppets with perception [and] awareness. And perhaps our awareness is the first step to our liberation.”

There is relatively little compassion in the world today compared to the plentiful anger or rage. I have noticed myself getting angrier over the last few years, especially about domestic and global injustices, or at least how I perceive them as such. Maybe my anger is largely related to the internet’s ‘angry algorithm’ which sends me the stories it has (unfortunately correctly) calculated will successfully agitate me into keeping the socially-damaging process going, thus maximising the number of clicks and scrolls I will provide it to sell to product advertisers.

At least as individuals, we can try to resist flawed human nature and behaviour, however societally normalised it may be, once we become aware of its destructive potential within ourselves. Once cognizant of it, perhaps enough among us could instead perform unambiguous and truly humane acts in sufficient quantity to initiate positive change on a meaningful scale.

Frank Sterle Jr.
White Rock, Canada

Published in Dawn, May 25th, 2026