This post is dedicated to the issues that are transpiring in Charlottesville and around the world at the moment. There is nothing I can write or say that should not already be obvious, or have been stated in a probably much more professional and transparent way. No set of human beings is superior to another. A belief system in which millions upon millions of people are enslaved, executed, tortured, or demoralized is wrong.
The biggest statement I want to encourage, is a fact that people often forget, we are all human. It is a simple statement for a very complex issue. Seeing each other as one thing is a double edge sword.
On one side you see the great accomplishments the human race is capable of and how those accomplishments can be possible within yourself. Melanin levels are uniqueness amongst humans, not a superiority. Whether you believe that the universe was created by God or by a Big Bang scenario, we all come from the same materials that make up this galaxy.
“The cosmos is within us. We are made of star-stuff. We are a way for the universe to know itself.” ~Carl Sagan
People can be so diverse and expansive that when I am creating characters I can base a whole alien society on one aspect of us. The diversity is extraordinary and inspiring, we just have to remember that one detail that connects us together, no matter the hatred or beliefs. We are human.
Now for the other side of the blade. If you accept the noble and great acts of humans, you have to accept the malevolent ones that we are capable of. I would like to say that the atrocious acts committed in Charlottesville, or throughout history, were by people possessed by an unnatural evil or some form of a chameleon-like creature. My imagination wants to take over because I don’t want to accept that humans are capable of ugly, despicable, near unimaginable horrors.
But they are, and it is uncomfortable to think in that light. GREAT WONDERS and GREAT HORRORS, that’s us. Whole movies, speeches, shows, books, poetry, have been dedicated to this fact. Push for the WONDERS.
Racism has to be fought both on a mass level and on an individual level. It is like removing hate from a person, and as long as someone wants to control another, hate will always be there in some form.
It is easy for me to sit here and write, “accept one another.” Heather Heyer was killed during these protests and many more injured. Parents lost a child and many more throughout history have suffered the same way. Soldiers fight to protect their loved ones and have died doing it. I cannot and hope I never have to imagine that pain. I have no right to demand that you do what I want you to do, or how to do it. That is your decision. We all come from different backgrounds and have experienced different pains.
All I ask of you is that you remember the message Heather Heyer was standing for. Remember the names and messages of people who fought, and continue to fight, for a tolerant world.
I encourage everyone to show a willingness to, at the very least, listen to a person’s stories and their beliefs. Do not condemn a person because of their skin color. You may not agree with what they believe in, but hopefully somewhere you may find a commonality. If you believe they are wrong show it to them through love and understanding. You’re not going to get a person to believe in Heaven by telling them they’re going to burn in Hell.
Having a conversation is one path but I am not naive enough to believe that will always be the solution. People will hate, condemn, and murder one another. The Earth will continue on just fine if we end up destroying each other. So I beg you to fight for a tolerant and respectable human race, anyway you can. I have worked in retail and know this may be difficult. Remember, you may change a person’s mind and even if it is only one person, that is one less out there spreading hate.
I leave you with this gif to sum it up…
Hiraeth 