Point to Ponder: How many ears must one person have before he can hear people cry? And how many deaths will it take 'til he knows that too many people have died?
Reflection: The image at the top of reflection is Choeung Ek memorial, the reminder of the tragic consequences of the power of hate. It is filled with 5000 human skulls, out of 1.5 to 2 million who were tortured and killed in various killing fields of Cambodia; their fault- having different belief system, education level and status. It is the result of one man and his group of followers’ obsession with hate.
History has many such tragic events in every culture and country; some on a genocidal scale like this and many others, though not as massive, resulting in innocent lives lost because of religious beliefs, race, status or color of the skin. Methods and means for torture were different but the end result was the same; the root cause - Hatred.
These hate initiatives start out small (one person killed, may be a few here and there as the numbers start addingup) but when the ordinary good citizens (other 98% or so) who knew they were wrong didn’t stand up, the other side picked up momentum and forced or coerced good people in joining them with intimidation and false propaganda about the other side. Many people remained silent out of fear.
If such issues are not contained and eliminated at the onset, even if it is just one life, gradually it starts adding up. Right now, this is happening to our children’s future.
But my story line is about a deeper issue.
Story Line: Some may say that there laws and systems to address such issues. But as Dale Carnegie once said “A person convinced against his will is of the same opinion still.” And we currently see this live in action, in many countries around the world. Hatred and violence against people of different faiths and skin color. Laws, a compliance mechanism, are only as effective as people choose. None of us are born prejudice, but pick them up along the way in school, social gatherings, from-friends, adults, books and media. The real change will have to come from us making a conscious choice; acceptance of differences amongst us, appreciating them and learning from one another. And whenever we see injustice, prejudice and hatred, we must not stand on the sideline but speak up for what is right. The requires an inner transformation that takes commitment and courage. We must do this for the sake of the future generations.
My own story: For most of my life, I thought I was an open minded, non-judgemental person until my children pointed out my hidden biases and prejudices expressed in casual conversations, “light jokes” and "well intended" actions. After intense dialogues I came to realize that opinions I had developed about different races, gay rights and an individual’s right to choose were not based on any concrete facts but due to my ignorance about their history, personal feelings and information from media or casual conversations. I still have a lot to learn and realize that inner transformation is the first step in how to view and act in the world. For my children and grandsons sake, I have made that choice.
Learn to do good, seek justice, correct opresion, bring justice to the helpless, stand up for the right cause.
In light of current situation, This is a special reflection on Monday.