Justice, there is no Peace
Reflecting on a conversation a few days ago, I realized the difficulties we face to understand the real nature of things. Our views are not necessarily conditioned by what we read and hear but by what we are able to absorb. A lot is filtered out and bypassed as if it were invisible or didn’t exist. A thick protective veil of self assurance is the full-time guard of our views, perspectives and sense of justice.
I live in a country where until fairly recently people were killed because of the color of their skin, because of their accent, their political views, for getting lost in a neighborhood. These things still happen but not too openly anymore because it is less politically correct now. Large numbers of this country’s citizens still live under silent discrimination that is for the most part still rampant. Decisions are made to protect and ensure the prosperity of the establishment.
Many people are prevented from having the means to shake off their chains. They are not slaves. This modern society could not stand slavery. Slavery was abolished some time ago but the same slave masters are still running the country maintaining the same wall of separation. Neo-slaves are unable to get good jobs or have difficulties to even get regular jobs. If they get jobs at all, they can only advance up to a certain point. There is no place past that point. The education of their children is only comparable to the level of their social status, very low. Their place and role in society is mostly already predetermined by their birth.
There is a bit of exaggeration in my description but it is mostly accurate. The statistics on mortality, social services, demographics, education, salaries, and many other indicators of discrimination paint a clear image of social injustice. These conditions are maintained by those who dispense justice, a particular kind of justice.
But why does the ruling class maintain these conditions? There may be a long list of reasons, but in regards to one of the most basic points, justice, their view is warped by some sense of entitlement and cultural empowerment. Even open minded citizens believe that they have a fair system in equality, moral high ground and goodness. Curiously, the rest of the world sees them as unfair, blind obnoxious greedy pigs unwilling to listen to others.
Why is this? For the same reasons each one of us allows ourselves to see the world more clearly than we can see ourselves. We can only see clearly those things that support our views. Things, events, comments, people, etc. that challenge those views are rendered invisible or we fight them to protect our walls. Just, fair and objective conclusions are a rarity in our interactions, maybe even impossible.
This is why communication, and redundant communication at that, is of paramount importance to have good relations. I am talking about good faith communications and where both sides are interested in learning from each other, in learning about each other, in achieving a state of common ground and peace. When this characteristic is not mutual, whatever communication that takes place will not achieve that goal. Take this to be in interpersonal relations or in talks between groups of people. Negotiations are a particular form of communications and I am not talking about that.
There has been a lot of talk about Christianity and Islam recently and I was amazed at how all of these things were being played out as readings from a textbook. It reminded me of people and “The Family” cult. Most people don’t care about learning about TFI. People make out their minds depending of who they met, the story they heard and the impact it had in them. That is how we reach our own conclusions about anything else, being it Islam, Christianity or atheism.
<start pontificating lecture >
In other words, if you think you know and understand something about a group of people you are kidding yourself and trying to fool others if you have never been a part of that group of people. I happen to think there is a possibility that a Christian preacher will tell you the truth about Islam or that a satan worshiper will be a good messenger of Buddhism but only in one case, if they have been one before and have that kind of knowledge about them.
Why is it that we are such good messengers about TFI?? It is because we know what happens inside and know things outsiders don’t know and can’t know because some things have to be experienced. Now think again and tell us how much you know about judaism, christianity, islam, atheism, wicca if you have never been in those groups? How much to know about discrimination and hate? Whose shoes have you walked that you know so much about the plight of oppressed communities being them jewish, muslims or christians?
<end pontificating lecture>
I am not saying that it is impossible to know something by reading books or asking friends, but those books and friends are also biased. My American friends will tell me about the policies of Iran something very different than what my Iranian friends will tell me. I believe both of them the same, with the same skepticism I hear a system-mite like Melton talk about TFI.
To ascertain something that you have not witness or experienced yourself is not cool :-)