Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Short Blurb about Us vs. Them

Most of our conflict as humans occurs in language. That is why many politicians and leaders use rhetoric to rally the troops. We need to examine this rhetoric and separate it from reality.

One of the most common words used by leaders to invoke a feeling of an "enemy" is THEY. You even see this word thrown around in the current U.S. political race.... They want to raise taxes, They want to take your freedoms... And the list goes on and on. If we continue to use this destructive rhetoric as a human race we will never progress. Human development will stagnate and collaboration between peoples and nations will cease to happen.

At Peace Pandemic, we always urge people to celebrate the differences between us. This can't happen however without a firm understanding of our similarities. We all breathe, bleed, cry, feel the same. The same blood is flowing through us and we all breathe in the same oxygen. If we can't even acknowledge that we share the common bond of being human then we will never lay the proper foundation to move forward together. Wars will continue all across the Earth and people will continue to misunderstand one another due to a lack of introspection. Look inwards and see that you belong to a huge community of humans living in a finite space.

We must change our language and this change our thinking. "Their" problems become "our" problems and the pain that "they" feel becomes the pain "we" all feel. Once this simple truth is accepted by the masses, true empathy and compassion can follow. Be a leader in this movement and urge everyone around you to realize the beauty of "Us." No more misunderstanding, no more hate. The world needs tolerance, empathy, compassion and understanding.

One love,

Jeb