Fear, Murder and Salvation
We humans are the dominant species on the planet. We have developed mathematics, art, language, music. Through the ages we have created such inspiring wonders that no one person could ever know them all. We have come so far, in a relatively short amount of time. Yet, as much as we would like to deny it, we are neither evolved nor enlightened.
Our kind is a pitiful, self-loathing lot. We hate and slaughter each other over ridiculous concepts: politics, religion, race, sexuality, wealth. We divvy our selves up into groups and slap labels on each other and ourselves. All in a vain attempt to make each of us feel better about ourselves, to feel like we belong to something, a “family”.
Why is it that we feel like we belong to “the group” only if we can point out others not exactly like us? “Oh, look at their skin color, their culture, their beliefs, their language. They don’t act like we do. They don’t think like we do. They don’t like what we like.” Yes, it’s easier to connect to those with similar interests, backgrounds and the like. But unless you go out into this wonder-filled world with an open mind and experience that which is not familiar or comfortable, you will never know what lies beyond your own front door.
What it breaks down to is this. Each of us thinks, acts, and believes a certain way. We naturally believe that our way is the “right” way. Therefore logically, those who are different must be “wrong”, “evil”, “sinners” and such. More labels. Unfortunately, this idea doesn’t take into account the Big Picture. This world, this reality is far too vast to be centered around one person (you), one group, or even one race. The absolute height of arrogance and insecurity is to assume that your way is the only “True” way.
We all suffer from our fears. We often feel inadequate, unloved and insecure. Labeling others is merely a scapegoat, a convenient way of drawing our attention away from ourselves and our own faults. That’s why it is so easy to hate.
The tragedy is that these dissimilarities shouldn’t divide us, they should be celebrated. Our differences make each of us unique and our kind, as a whole, a magnificent species. We are all capable of such greatness. But we will never truly rise up from the mire until we learn to accept each other for what we are, seek out a more enlightened point of view and look within our selves for answers.
Our kind is a pitiful, self-loathing lot. We hate and slaughter each other over ridiculous concepts: politics, religion, race, sexuality, wealth. We divvy our selves up into groups and slap labels on each other and ourselves. All in a vain attempt to make each of us feel better about ourselves, to feel like we belong to something, a “family”.
Why is it that we feel like we belong to “the group” only if we can point out others not exactly like us? “Oh, look at their skin color, their culture, their beliefs, their language. They don’t act like we do. They don’t think like we do. They don’t like what we like.” Yes, it’s easier to connect to those with similar interests, backgrounds and the like. But unless you go out into this wonder-filled world with an open mind and experience that which is not familiar or comfortable, you will never know what lies beyond your own front door.
What it breaks down to is this. Each of us thinks, acts, and believes a certain way. We naturally believe that our way is the “right” way. Therefore logically, those who are different must be “wrong”, “evil”, “sinners” and such. More labels. Unfortunately, this idea doesn’t take into account the Big Picture. This world, this reality is far too vast to be centered around one person (you), one group, or even one race. The absolute height of arrogance and insecurity is to assume that your way is the only “True” way.
We all suffer from our fears. We often feel inadequate, unloved and insecure. Labeling others is merely a scapegoat, a convenient way of drawing our attention away from ourselves and our own faults. That’s why it is so easy to hate.
The tragedy is that these dissimilarities shouldn’t divide us, they should be celebrated. Our differences make each of us unique and our kind, as a whole, a magnificent species. We are all capable of such greatness. But we will never truly rise up from the mire until we learn to accept each other for what we are, seek out a more enlightened point of view and look within our selves for answers.
posted by Kevin Ruesch | 6:57 PM
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