Of Racists, Hypocrites, Idiots, and Selective Amnesia

We had KFC delivered to our place for dinner today. Parents were out; the three of us had to finish binding a few reams of handouts for Wednesday’s exhibition. I had turned up the volume on CNN to listen to the reports on Sri Lanka when suddenly everything was interrupted by Mr. Peres’ speech at the Holocaust Remembrance Day. Of course the speech was a direct attack at Mr. Ahmadinejad’s one given at the International Conference on Racism.

While I am in complete disagreement with the Iranian president’s speech (which was rife with racist hatred instead of promoting racial tolerance), I am also in disagreement with Israel’s recent attack on Palestine.

While Mr. Peres pointed out that the continuing dream of Israelis was to promote peace, goodwill, and tolerance – human attributes that their ancestors were denied during the Holocaust – Israel’s drastic ‘terrorist sweep’ actions a few months ago questions the validity of this statement and wavers too close towards hypocrisy. If it was peace they were after, why did they wall up the Palestinians and shell the entire area with all unarmed civilians trapped inside? And if I were a Palestinian I’d be pissed too (no, not pissed, livid may be) if my country was shelled and destroyed by foreigners all for the heck of ridding a bunch of terrorists. Well perhaps the Israelis were provoked, but that doesn’t mean exercising their totally superior military power over a comparatively helpless nation. I can’t see peace, tolerance, or justice in that. That is not to say I condone the terrorist acts against Israel either. But the attack on Palestine left more civilians, and not terrorists, dead – and ultimately failed to achieve anything other than fuel more hatred.

Mr. Ahmadinejad, on the other hand, points out that the Holocaust never really happened. Here’s another strangely amusing character with selective amnesia who fills in the gaps with other events that never actually happened. If it were any other human race or religious group other than the Jews that were targeted during the Holocaust, would he have rephrased his words? If the Holocaust was genocide of the Muslims by the Nazi government, would he still have stated that it never took place? That is something he’d just have to tap in to his own heart and find out. Denying the Holocaust is like claiming there is genocide of Tamils in Sri Lanka. Personally, I think the Iranian president’s denial of the Holocaust is just another excuse to find a reason to hate without using the word ‘racist’.

The Israel-Palestine conflict is perhaps more of a religious conflict today than one of land. Where once the Palestinians were fighting for what was their land – which is now occupied by Israel after the Second World War – it has now escalated into that dangerous type of war: a religious war, where land is no longer the primary concern.

Religion controls, dictates, and becomes such an inseparable part of our lives that it sometimes leaves us with a diminished and distorted will of our own. People cease to think or feel. They cease to reason beyond the limits of their ‘religion’. Eventually, it comes to a certain point where one is left feeling as if there is no part of one’s life or mind to call one’s own. This is where whatever is human ceases to exist, and the institution of religion and politics pulls the strings in the puppet show.

In my opinion, one is not born a Jew, a Muslim, or Christian. Neither is one born a Hindu, Taoist, Buddhist, Paganist, Satanist, or Wiccan. Religion is taught. Religion is nurtured. Religion is cultured.

Likewise hatred is not inherent but taught and fueled.

From what then does hatred spring? It springs from fear.

What does fear spring from? From ignorance.

In our ignorance we forget that first and foremost, we are human.

We were human before we were Muslim, or Christian, or Jewish, or Hindu, or Buddhist.

We were human before we were enemies or friends.

We were human before we studied our history.

We were human before we drew lines that divided the land masses.

We were human before we were man or woman.

We were human before we were black, white, yellow, red, or brown.

We were human before we were different.

And we will always be human, whether we like it or not. And so will the other person be human, as much we are.

Yet we choose to clump everybody else as the inevitable collective ‘them’. Not ‘us’. THEM.

Let us first remember who we are, before we judge another.

This is when I remember a famous quote from the Buddha:

“All beings tremble before violence.
All fear death, all love life.
So see yourself in others.
Then whom can you hurt?
What harm can you do?”

Perhaps if we could all see ourselves in others, we could probably save ourselves from annihilating our own species…

Compassion. Tolerance. Equanimity. Kindness. Love. That is the answer to racism.

(Uh… they should have let me speak at the conference ^^ )