We're only human

Mike Tyson’s little girl died tragically when her head got entangled with a machine which her mom was able to save her from. But not before the damage was already done. A few minutes later the child was pronounced dead.

For those of you who grew up in the 80s, you would remember the heavyweight champion as being the Ali of our times.

Tyson was also known for his aggression and “bad boy” behaviour. Having been accused of raping a young contestant of a beauty pageant, he served his term stoically, refusing to admit that he had anything to do with her – a claim he stands by to date.

His reputation in the ring took a dramatic turn when he bit off the ear of his opponent - Evander Holyfield, an event the few of us who saw will never forget. I can still remember the shock waves it sent round the boxing arena. The cover page of the TIME magazine splashing a bleeding Holyfield right across its front page as the fans that were on Tyson’s side hastily retreated on to the side of his opponent.

Tyson is not the only celebrity to grieve over the loss a child. Steven Curtis Chapman, John Travolta, Eric Clapton – they’ve all lost their kids as a young age. Eric Clapton’s little boy fell of the balcony of his apartment and was killed instantly. Yet another celebrity’s son accidentally reversed onto his little brother, killing him with that knock of death.

Today we have Yahoo headlines and Google news scooping up the entertainment news for us. “Mike Tyson’s daughter dies after tragic accident”.

Today we also have millions of internally displaced people who have lost their little ones to the war. Either voluntarily or by force, these kids have joined the movement and lost their lives to its futile cause.

The civilian families who are seeking shelter and sustenance are also families that have grieved over the disappearance, abduction or killing of their son. Their daughters have paraded the fields of LTTE training camps and worn those cyanide capsules of death. They have been taken at a ripe age, plucked out of their parent’s homes and used up for the activities of the organization.

Their daughters too have died after tragic accidents. Their killing was not purposeful. It happened in the name of war. However they were not voluntary pursuits of death. They had but little choice.

Too late now. They are far gone. But spare a thought for the families out there who are grieving and getting through their days with these losses in their hearts. They may hardly bring it to the notice of those around them. Indeed, their first priority is resettlement and care but we ought to remember there are millions of people in our own land, who are feeling the very same emotions that that brutal, aggressive heavyweight it feeling right now.

We’re only human after all.