On the way home from work today, I was listening to the radio as usual. Most of the time it gets washed into the periphery, but today was different. There was a story on the republican presidential candidates, and a religious leader was speaking about his take on what he considered the front-runners.
His take on the viability of Mitt Romney caught my ear the most. Not his opinion necessarily, but one little phrase. "Leaders teach their congregations that Mormons belong to a cult."
That one took me by surprise. Mostly because I felt surprisingly naive for not having fully realized this before. I have no opinion of Mormons, or Christians, or Muslims, etc (nor do I express here opinion of political candidates). My issue is that intolerance is something taught and accepted on an institutional level. It's just understood that "we" are right and "they" are wrong. Do we consider them to be less than human because they do not believe as we do, share the same values and morals or live a different lifestyle?
The question to ask ourselves: have we ever lived their circumstances and understood what the world looked like through their eyes? True understanding requires moving out of our comfort zone and exhibiting patience and empathy. Very few wish to make the effort. It is much easier to categorize, judge and move on with the belief that we are superior.
For a country that supposedly prides itself on diversity and tolerance, we sure do show our true face when it comes to positions of importance. We dare not let our own values be (falsely) threatened by electing an "outsider."
3 comments:
Yup, that's...right.
It always makes me so angry when I come across situations like that. I call it waffle brain syndrome. 'This person goes here in this box this person goes in that box.'
It's sad but sometimes I think we're fighting a losing battle.
Yeah, a losing battle. I hope not, though. Or rather, I hope...that it can change. Though with the number of people and cultures on our planet (who are largely intolerant of each other), it's easy to get disheartened.
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