In the 1990’s there was a widely circulated photo of a vulture waiting for a starving little girl to die and feast on her corpse. That photo was taken during the 1993/94 famine in Sudan, by Kevin Carter, a South African photojournalist, who later won the Pulitzer Prize for this ‘amazing shot.

However, as Kevin Carter was savouring his feat and being celebrated on major news channels and networks worldwide for such an ‘exceptional photographic skill’, he lived just for a few months to enjoy his supposed achievement and fame, as he later got depressed and took his own life!

Kevin Carter’s depression started, when during one of such interviews (a phone-in programme), someone called in and asked him what happened to the little girl. He simply replied, “I didn’t wait to find out after this shot, as I had a flight to catch…” Then the caller said, “I put it to you that there were two vultures on that day, one had a camera”.

Thus, his constant thought of that statement, later led to depression and he ultimately committed suicide. Kevin Carter could have still been alive today and even much more famous, if he had just picked that little girl up and taken her to the United Nations Feeding Center, where she was attempting to reach or at least take her to somewhere safe.

Today, regrettably this is what is happening all around the world. The world celebrates stupidity and inhumane acts, at the detriment of others. Kevin Carter should have taken the girl away from that place, which would cost him nothing, yet he didn’t. Here is the inhuman posture: “he had all the time to take his shot, but he had no time to save the girl’s life”.

Thus, we must all understand that, the purpose of life, is to also touch lives. So, are you too a Vulture? In whatever we do, let humanity come first, before what we stand to gain out of the situation. In all we do let’s always think of others and how we can be of benefit to humanity, how we can lend a helping hand and wipe away tears. Hence, when we seek knowledge, wealth, fame, skills or even positions, let’s think of how we can use it to benefit the people and society at large.

Today, there is a lot of poverty in the land, so if the Almighty God has blessed you, be a blessing to others, extend a helping hand to those in need. Remember, you giving, is also a way of appreciating divine blessings, bounties, and favour of God Almighty upon you. Therefore, it is very important that we all should help the poor and needy, the orphans, widows and the aged in our midst, so that they can meet their needs.

Please, don’t be a Kevin Carter, don’t be a “second vulture”; be human and think humanity.

Beware, we humans are not humans, if we lack humaneness in all we do.

Author unknown.