I have to admit that the past couple of weeks have been gut wrenching. Terrorist attacks in Baghdad, Bangladesh, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and elsewhere have me wondering what is happening to our world.
Then the recent deaths of Alton Sterling and Philandro Castile just did me in. Their deaths broke my heart along with the many others that died in terrorist attacks. (And that was before the Dallas shooting).
I stopped to consider whether I am doing enough when I teach people about prejudice.
Prejudice shows up in so many forms. Racism, sexism, terrorism, xenophobia, and more.
It’s heartbreaking to realize that not everyone is treated equally even though we wish it so.
I think about US history and consider how this country was started with the idea of liberty but implemented only for free, white males.
We kicked the natives off their land and often forced them onto reservations (where Hitler had a light bulb moment and later took the idea and ran with it).
We did not give women the right to vote until 1920 and Native Americans were not considered citizens of the US until 1924.
We forced Japanese Americans to move to internment camps during World War II yet we did very little about the Nazi groups IN the US.
Truly I could say a lot more here, but you get the idea.
This is a country that loves the idea of liberty but has struggled to give equal rights to everyone regardless of sexual orientation, economic status, religion, gender, or ethnicity.
How does one tackle institutional racism? How does one stop terrorist groups? How do we heal as a nation and as the world from all the forms of prejudice that exist?
As the Dalai Lama recently said: “Prayer doesn’t bring about peace, because it’s we who create the trouble, so it’s we who have to fix it.”
We need to take action and there are many ways to do that.
First step is being aware of your thoughts that create terror or prejudice. We all have them. First we need to be aware of the thoughts before turning them around to more peaceful, compassionate thoughts.
Next is having conversations with people about things that really matter to you, whether it is women’s rights, LGBT rights, racial profiling, stereotypes, discrimination, or what have you. This is NOT a one-time conversation. These are ongoing dialogues where you look at different perspectives and you realize that there is more than one way to look at any issue that plagues our world.
Educate yourself on our history. Look at the history of blacks, of women, of Latinos, of Asians, of Native Americans, of Arabs. Read books, watch documentaries, and read different online sources.
It may not seem like a lot but through our willingness to listen to each other’s perspectives, we can reach a better understanding and show more compassion.
It’s time to take a stand for equality, for goodwill, and for peace.
Silence will only continue more of the same.
What are you passionate to change? What’s your next step?