I feel as if the hatred fueled by fear is growing rapidly every day in our world. The zealots and fanatics have the loudest voices...how do we teach and practice acceptance and treating everyone with dignity and still be heard?
I am not apathetic to the events of the world--the conflict against the proposed Mosque on Park Place in New York City, the invasion of privacy which lead to the suicide of the Rutger's student, the three young men brutally beaten and sodomized in the Bronx because they are gay, and the hundreds of individuals who have been robbed of their voices and suffer in silence.
I am proud to be U.S. American--The America that was defined for me: the melting pot--where people of all race and creed come together to stand united for freedom and democracy, with the "Pledge of Allegiance" which ends, "...with liberty and justice for all." In what I believe to be "American", there is no room for hatred. These most recent events, to me, are un-American.
I believe that every individual, every human being deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. I try my best everyday to do this.
This includes those who preach hate fueled by fear. They too deserve to be treated with dignity and respect--even though I do not condone their actions and words. I am unable to walk in their shoes, nor do I know the pain they carry. Their actions do not make them less human. For me, this is the most difficult to practice.
How do we start a revolution to end hatred and to encourage upholding the dignity of our fellow humans? How do we push forward without isolating or pointing at/creating "the other"? Is it effective to lead by example--making small changes by treating the individuals of our communities with love, respect and dignity or to be effective, must we begin shouting?
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