There is just one America Filled with Many Different Peoples
I would like to clarify my previous post as I think some people may have misinterpreted it. What I am talking about is not politics. I am not talking Democrats and Republicans. We are a democracy and we have free speech. Every Republican has the right to express themselves as much as I do. All I am trying to do is to start an open, honest dialog with all people, of all kinds of beliefs and backgrounds, so that we can learn to understand the differences between us, and — more importantly — recognize that what is different is not inherently bad or evil. It’s just different, and that is what makes our country so great.
I was speaking about the big picture here in our beloved country. I wasn’t even simply talking about racism, although, racism is a deep-rooted problem. There is racism in all countries, I am sure. But some countries look at blacks and whites with more equality. I do not feel if we asked black people here or in another country if racism is easing quickly, they would agree. In fact, I know they don’t feel that way, at least among those I know. It isn’t just our feelings about black people alone. Minorities of all kinds suffer from discrimination. How often has it taken laws to protect the rights of minorities? Asians, Hispanics, Puerto Ricans, Haitians, South Africans, indigenous people of all countries, including the USA. After the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1947, we locked Japanese people up in camps even the ones born here in America.
The picture is even bigger than this. We don’t love our neighbors as we love ourselves, if they look different, speak different, have a different religion or religious path. Can peace begin in neighborhoods, cities, let alone countries, if we aren’t practicing it within ourselves and our families? What about hating people who love differently or believe in a different God, or a different facet of the same God? I do believe it has a lot to do with education. If your family raises you to believe that others of a different religion are wrong and will not go to heaven, you probably will believe this when you are an adult. If you are brought up to believe that women are inferior, very often you will treat women as being inferior — even if you are the woman.
To me, the map just gave me this huge picture of the source of our hatred (as in hate crimes) and violence (as in violent crimes). They need to go down. They need to end. Can they end when acceptance and inclusion are moving forward so slowly? I worry that we aren’t making much progress. Bigoted people come in all shapes and sizes and religious persuasions and, yes, political beliefs.
I am sorry if I didn’t explain myself well. I simply wanted to begin a dialog about what people here can do to show more love and inclusiveness to those who are different. I am sending this blog out surrounded with white light and love and a sincere apology to anyone who didn’t understand my whole concept. Yes, the maps triggered my thinking about the problems here in America, but I was not confining them to racism, nor to politics. I meant it to be an example of the fact that we haven’t changed, in the last 150 years, as much as we may believe we have.
idealisticrebel 