If We Want To End Racism, Hatred, And Violence We Have To Stop Teaching It To Ourselves
During this moment of “National Reckoning” and “Recognition” we may only be recognizing half the story.
Since the murder of George Floyd and the anti-police protests we are now routinely hearing peoples stories of what their experiences are like growing up in this hateful racist society and culture as a “person of color”. This is immensely important in the raising of collective understanding and awareness. However, it would seem that for true and lasting change to occur, a total understanding and complete comprehension of the whole problem may be required.
By hearing the experiences of what life is like in this culture for people of color we are only hearing one half of the story. It would appear that in order to acknowledge the entire problem we must also include the stories of what it’s like for people to grow up in a hate perpetuating and racist households or families. What is it like to be taught how to hate? What sort of feelings accompany such an experience? Is there any form of discomfort, fear, depression, anxiety felt? Is there a feeling that, if one doesn’t go along “hating” with the rest of the family they will be discarded, rejected, or harmed themselves in some way? Does one ever feel conflicted as they are being brought up in a racist and hateful household? How is it that this hate is actually being cultivated and perpetuated with us, within this culture, within this society, and ultimately within this world?
One thing is for certain, humans don’t come into this world “hating” one another, this is an entirely learned behavior. For one human to hate another human solely on the basis of their physical characteristics…, for something that they don’t even have any control over, for just existing, is probably the darkest thing a human mind can do.
To so completely and totally un-acknowledge and deny the existence of any one form of creation so as to desire to negate it out of existence, is to go against the whole creation itself. This is because all of creation is really one, and to go against any “part” of it is to go against the “whole” of it, again, since there really is no such thing as a “part” because the part is only a superficial fabrication of thought. Instead, what is called for is complete acceptance and acknowledgement of the thing, for only then is it’s opposite allowed to come into being.
Therefore if we want to completely and totally eradicate hatred, we must first acknowledge it. Acknowledge that it exists with in us…, that we are hatred. Only in this way will it completely cease to exist. By creating an opposite in the form of “anti hatred”, or “anti” anything we only propagate and perpetuate the very thing we are trying to rid ourselves of.
Our hating “outwardly” is a direct result of our hating “inwardly” as it is one movement. There is no division between the outer and the inner, it is all always one motion. Please observe this for yourself. Observe how our internal conflict, hatred, and violence finds it’s way projecting and expressing outward to create the world we have now. This outward conflict and violence then goes on to again reinforce and perpetuate the inner form and the whole thing just keeps rolling along like one gigantic vicious and brutal wheel of hell that just seemingly everlastingly stream rolls over the top of us all.
