Owning the consequences, shunning excuses

I’m very sure from the Biblical point of view that our iniquitous nature as human beings is wholly as a result of inheritance and not acquirement, owning to the fact that our first parents gave in to the serpent’s desires. One is thus justified to believe that they are sinners and are prone to transgression which culminates to earnest confession as the only prerequisite to forgiveness.“It is however distressing to note that individuals are instead blaming every single wrong doing on the devil and the immediate circumstances; why did you cheat? ‘’It was the devil or the state of affairs that made me cheat.”Just thinking aloud, what will ensue if one day the devil shows up and says it was not him? What would be the next excuse? (Anyway, the devil is evil so will want to put him in the deepest of an abyss) Maybe the story will change to; it was my kinsmen or my leader or they paid me to do so.Think of this man who had lived peacefully with his good neighbours for more than twenty years. The neighbours were always there for him. They widely opened their hearts and arms to him. They gave him access to all the pleasantries they afforded. They went to the same church and shared the same belief. It is, however, sad and traumatising, that the same man decided to break the relationship and togetherness that had been built for many years.The man’s claims that he was under pressure from perpetrators and used his own hands to exterminate the neighbour’s only son at the heart of genocide are pointless. Does he have good reason and excuse for his actions? Reasons aren’t excuses and excuses aren’t realistic either. Actually an excuse is terrible and worse than a lie because an excuse is a lie guarded. The perpetrators of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi might have what they used to see as very noble reasons for the crimes they committed which made complete sense to them at the time. Nearly all of the perpetrators continue to give excuses for every single crime they committed; some will tell you that the circumstances at the time justified their actions. They continuously talk of being used or were overwhelmed by the sight of the unfolding events.When I zealously and devotedly analyse their arguments, I can’t stop thinking of the other side of the coin, the Nyange students, young, vulnerable and unable to physically shield themselves with no weapon to use for defence stood for morality, patriotism and truth till their slow painful death.On the other hand, most of the perpetrators were mature enough to make informed choices. They could, at least, physically defend themselves and could, if able, run away from gruesome fray of events since they were in a free space unlike the powerless students in a boarding enclosure.It was a true demonstration of oneness and solidarity. They gave love a true, perfect definition and face. They were surrounded and had to choose between divisionism and contribute to the worst tragedies of recent human history or staying together and perish with and in dignity. The students had all the ‘reasons and excuses’ just as the perpetrators, to fall into ‘temptation’ but, unlike many, they stood for what was right. They were encircled by ruthless armed men. To my throbbing surprise the young and blameless had courage to face death for the sake of unity unlike the perpetrators who even being right there watching a good exemplar set by the students could not afford even a mild sympathy or love but hardened their hearts and executed their ill intentions. Honestly, there is nothing like an excuse to the crimes committed and if there is any then the best way is to confess, face the consequences, receive forgiveness and forge forward. The more the perpetrators avoid the facts and give reasons to their wrong doing the more the delay in the healing and reconciliation process.