Remember to consider your humanity before attacking others

August 29, 2016

 

Scribe Staff

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     “Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius — and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction.” ― Ernst F. Schumacher

     In times of distress, destruction and violence seem to be good solutions. People don’t resort to these because they are full of hatred and anger, but because they are often driven by fear.

     It’s easy to prepare for the worst and immediately jump to conclusions. As a society, we often want to be prepared for whatever situation life throws at us.

     But when we become preoccupied with our fears, we often forget the bigger picture: unity.

     There are few things that we all have in common.  It is certain that we all have mixed viewpoints. We are the same in that we all have different experiences that have shaped who we are as people.

     It is our responsibility to have open minds when presented with different perspectives; after all, every opinion has reasons behind it– even if it’s an opinion you don’t agree with.

     No matter what your stance is on a controversial topic, no one should wish violence against you, but rather, welcome you to intellectual discussion.

     Violence can come in many different forms, but a culture of attacking someone else simply because you do not agree is only adding to an already disturbing problem in our country.

     Every day, someone is slandered on social media or is physically harmed because of their differences.

     Rejecting the validity of someone else only turns them into an “enemy.” Hatred is what produces fear, and fear produces violence.

     We, along with the generations who parented us, can’t seem to agree on a solution.

     Instead of becoming a united front, we became staunch in our political opinions, and effectively used these to persecute others who disagree with us.

     We push against a culture of individuality and tolerance that’s taught to us from grade school on.

     What if it was your father who was shot for pulling out his car registration? Or bombed for celebrating a national holiday? Would you still argue that your political affiliation’s way of handling the terror is right?

     I don’t think so.

     Violence, in some way, breeds within us, but these human inclinations can be altered. It is almost natural for us to assume that the next headline we see in the news will be a violent act.

     None of us have the answers, but the least we could do is understand and communicate with one another.

     When it comes down to it, nobody will every have the right answer. Everyone believes what they know is what’s true. We should be OK with no one right answer.

     Although there may not always be a common ground, we can still respect each other.