Today I had a chat with an old friend of mine in my home country, South Africa. We talked about 'Racism' and how it is still alive and well, especially in Cape Town where I grew up. After our chat, I thought it best to share my thoughts on racism and what I have learnt of the topic thus far in my journey of life.
This is my account:
'All men are by nature equal, made all of the same earth by one Workman; and however we deceive ourselves, as dear unto God is the poor peasant as the mighty prince.'
-Plato(427-347BC) Greek Philosopher
When I first read those words a few years ago I was intrigued and fascinated by how often we misunderstand the concept of coexistence. Until today, I fail to understand what has made us to belief that our differences in colour, creed, beliefs and culture are to be perceived as a liability and not an asset. We all agree that we are human. It is when we try to define and categorise ourselves a little bit more, when we discover our 'fictitious'inferiority or superiority amongst each other. Our perceptions of each other changes when we talk about race, status, class and background. We agree that a dog is still a dog, no matter what colour it is. A beautiful black Labrador is not being considered 'less dog' based on the colour of his fur. Nor is a white and brown American Foxhound considered 'more dog' because of its colour or breed.
What has caused that? What has happened to coexistence? What has happened to looking at someone else and seeing the fingerprints of God all over him/her? How does God see us? Why do we see each other differently?
Let's zoom in a little bit more. A song performed by Khanyisa quoted a very important question in the lyrics,' Why do you hate me, if you don't even know me? Why do you hate me, if you don't even try to love me? Why do you hate me, for the colour of my skin?' As in the words of Abraham J Heschel (Jewish Theologian and Philosopher),'Racism is man's gravest threat to man - the maximum of hatred for a minimum of reason.' That makes sense, because sometimes we do not even know why we do something, but we do it anyway. We say,'That's how I am raised. That's all I'm used to.' We do not stop to think and challenge our perceptions. Asking questions like, 'Why am I hating someone because he or she looks, talks or acts different then me?' Can I learn something from someone else's culture or upbringing? What else do I know about the Xhosa, Zulu, Europian, Chinese culture other than what I was told or what I have heard from others? Did I get stuck at all the negative things being said about other races or cultures? Maybe if I get to know the other person, I might actually embrace my coexistence. Maybe if I let go of my perceptions, prejudices or generalisations, I might embrace my coexistence with them.
The truth is, racism still evident today. Racism is a lonely world. Your world will become larger if you embrace others and racism will become a distant memory if you do. It will become a memory which only lives in the heart of those unwilling to change and those unwilling to embrace the beauty of coexistence. But for the one who is willing to embrace other cultures or races, a world of endless possibilities will open. You will learn the creativity and diversity of God's creation.
The fact that every leaf on a tree is different does not take away the beauty of the tree. In the same way, the world will become more and more beautiful as you embrace the differences of others. For the racist, his world will become smaller. He will be like the leaf that is extracted from a tree. As the racist keeps denying his coexistence with his fellow men, they create a tiny little space for themselves;so tiny that he will only find himself being the inhabitant of it.
In closing, I belief that everyone can change. South Africa will become a racism-free country. It begins with you.
'Let us all hope that the dark clouds of racial prejudice will soon pass away, and that in some not too distant tomorrow the radiant stars of love and brotherhood will shine over our great nation with all their scintillating beauty'(Martin Luther King, Jr. quotes (American Baptist Minister and Civil-Rights Leader. 1929-1968)
-Clinton-
