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THAT THIN LINE

I had a lot of conflict in my heart about posting a horrible video I saw last night. This conflict stemmed from the fact that each time I write, it’s not about sensationalizing a subject but about creating awareness. I also know that this video might actually give some sick people out there a high.
However, I know that watching this video would stir up the right emotions in a lot of hearts and just maybe, this madness would be curbed. Shame on anyone who watches this video and feels anything but horror and may God punish anyone who watches it and gets even the least bit of pleasure from it.

I was minding my business last night when I got this video. It elicited in me a whole lot of emotions. I was horrified. I was very angry. I was very sad. I shed tears about it and I hurt for that poor little child.
For goodness sake, what sort of a human being does that to a child?!
That baby certainly couldn’t have been more than six months. She could barely crawl.
Who but a deranged monster does that to a child?
What sort of a woman would sit back on her haunches while, obviously, thinking about how to cause more hurt to a baby?

That mad woman had an audience too.
She had an audience whom I’m convinced are more evil than she is. Who makes a video of such a horror and then proceeds to pass it around?!!
What could be a noble motive for shooting that video?
I don’t understand the language they were speaking but there was a voice in the background speaking calmly to the mad woman each time she hurt that poor little baby. She may well have been telling her to stop or to go easy on that baby.
My question is… Why make a video instead of taking measures to stop that deranged woman? Even if that crazy woman was suffering from post-partum depression, was the person that shot that disgusting video suffering from the same thing too?

There’s nothing to excuse that woman; not a thing! In my opinion, that could not have been post-partum depression. That was, without a doubt in my mind, an act of madness; evil in its undiluted form.
Also, the fact that the children who were watching her acted unmoved about the whole thing, clearly shows that that horrible scene was one they were used to seeing.

Despite all she had done to that poor child, that baby still went to her for comfort only to be struck even harder.
Who does that and without seeming to break a sweat?!!!!
When the baby was not able to cry anymore and only whimpered so pitifully, she still hurt her some more.
Who else but a lunatic does that?!

Now, before we all jump up to start a rally against that woman in the video, can we stop for a little while and look inwards, please.
At what point does one cross that very thin line between enforcing discipline in a child and outrightly abusing them?
Can we even stop ourselves when we realize we’re about crossing that line?
Do we even know where that line is?
At what point does our vision become blurred by a red haze of anger that prevents us from seeing when we hurt other people?

“Spare the rod and spoil the child”
We quote that all the time when we want to argue in favour of spanking a child. My point here is not to argue against that quote but to ask, “At what point does NOT sparing the rod spoil the child?”

Who among us has ever tried to correct anybody?
I bet we’re all raising our hands so I’ll ask now, “Who among us has ever used the rod?”
The rod in this instance isn’t literary. It symbolizes a spank here, a smack there, a cane there, a knock on the head, a slap on the face, a kick, a blow… whatever your rod is.

I still see some hands up. So here goes…
Have you ever crossed that line?
Have you ever been blinded by that red haze that doesn’t let you see?
Have you ever ended up hurting instead of correcting?
Have you ever let someone else feel the brunt of your pain even when they had no hand in it?
Have you ever inflicted pain on someone you were supposed to love and protect?
Can you relate at all to this woman in that video? In some way? In any way at all? Can you? Honestly?

While we’re still pondering on that, let’s do a little more Q & A.
Have you ever ignored injustice?
Have you ever watched while evil was being committed and did absolutely nothing to bring it to a halt?
Have you ever been untouched when a weaker person was being hurt in any way?
Have you instead of stopping evil, helped to spread it or encourage it?
Have you ever urged evil on, in any way?
Have you ever heard a cry for help and ignored it?
Can you relate at all to those little children who watched that monster, without shedding even a little tear? Can you relate at all to the person that shot that video? In some way? In any way at all? Can you? Honestly?

Back to that video, the pity I felt for that little baby stemmed from the fact that if she does survive that horrible woman, she would still be, unarguably, affected by that experience.
Abused victims often become worse abusers and it makes perfect sense. All they’ve ever known is a show of force and power that hurts. If she grows up in that toxic environment, she would most likely do the same or worse to a child.

What lesson could those children that watched have learnt but that the strong conquer the weak?
What’s going to stop them from bullying another child outside their home?
What’s going to stop them from becoming men who hit their wives and children or from becoming mothers whose first line of discipline lies in wielding the rod? That’s all they know, after all.

For those of us who have been blessed with children, they were given to you by God for a lot of reasons.
He chose you to be the one to nurture them and raise them right.
He chose you to protect them from any kind of evil.
He chose you to teach them what love truly is.
Most importantly, He chose you to show them that He exists… Yes, He does!


“In your anger do not sin. Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry and do not give the devil a foothold.” Ephesians 4:26 (NIV)
One of the reasons for this passage was so we do not cross that very thin line.


Comments

  1. Colettoo6:54 pm

    Ola I just wish that the sick monster in the video can read this! Poor innocent baby!

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  2. Still feel sick from that video..... True talk my dear, we must be careful not to cross that line, out of anger, misplaced aggre, tiredness etc. God help that family cos those kids that watched eating crisps and what not, like they were in a cinema wud surely grow up to be monsters.

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  3. Anonymous7:39 pm

    Thanks Ola, its your second blog that im reading today and decided to share some thought on this one.

    I am based in Japan and unfortunately, sometimes cases like the one you just saw on the video occurs here. Most mothers blame it on post maternal stress and seek more support from the Husband and Family to support the Mother.

    Nevertheless, this video is quite disturbing and does not share similarities to the above mentioned conditions as they had a group of people watching, i am very sure they were not calming her down in anyway.....its just tiring.

    Maybe i should read less new, everything i see and read on the news gives me no hope for humanity. People cant be trusted, and the ones we trust betray and fail us. Homosexuality becomes the reign of the day, war, the financial markets are crashing....when i was born i dont think the world had all these problems, the question is whats wrong with the world. I am not a Dad yet and i am scared of being one with all these madness going around.

    I am tired but i dont know for some reason, i want to hope things get better and these is the worst of our world, we still have the good people who bring us joy and give us reason to love and hope.

    I guess im totally off point now! Well, thanks Ola!! Thanks!

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  4. Anonymous7:54 am

    Hi,
    I thought you might want to know, this incident was last year and d mom has been arrested m.thejakartapost.com/news/2012/05/09/video-baby-being-abused-goes-viral-a-year-later.html
    Regards
    Jackie

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  5. Coco; Just read a post that says that she's currently serving an 18-month jail term for this. Baby's with social services too. Thank God for that!

    Ng; Yeah, you got my point exactly. It's very easy to point fingers @ someone else. We are all guilty in one way or the other of crossing that thin line. May God have mercy on us and guide us right b4 a video is made of us doing such a horrible thing.

    Anon 19:39; No, you were not off point @ all. The world IS full of people who don't even try to do the right thing. That's the reason for all the bad news.
    When you become a dad, just do all you can to protect your children from evil. That's one of the best gifts you could ever give them.

    Jackie; Thanks so much for keeping me informed. I think she got off with a light sentence, though. Let's hope she doesn't get out and hurt another human being.

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  6. hey guys, I saw the clip too 2 days ago, and I was horrified. Ever since then, I have flashbacks, and I pray for the child and all abused children all over the world. I hadnt seen this blog before I also wrote about it on my blog - drfunty.blogspot.com . In few words, I expressed my pain, but in no way could I have uploaded the video, it was way too horrific. I'm glad it's all out now. Thank God she's been arrested, but does that suffice?

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  7. Funto; Thanks for stopping by. Went over to yours too :)
    The only way that sentence would suffice is if she gets real help. If she doesn't, it's only a matter of time before it happens again; only this time, she'll be careful not to get recorded.

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  8. Anonymous7:51 am

    Hi. Uju directed me here. Nice postings. Watch the video too and almost fainted. Just read from postings here that she was arrested.THANK GOD. Pls keep the good works and word.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Anon 07:51; Thanks for stopping by and thanks for the compliment :)
    Yeah, I thank God too that she's been arrested... that video was creepy, alright.

    ReplyDelete

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