Title
DARING ENOUGH TO CHANGE THE WORLD
The lights in the distance pierce through the saffron coloured
glass which scatters the light and through it, a man of
Indian origin sees the distinct image of his beloved Lord
Shiva. He is a faithful devotee of the Lord. However, when
a Muslim looks through this same piece of glass, he sees
not what the Indian sees. Give him a green coloured piece
of glass, through this, the Muslim sees Allah, the Indian
sees nothing. Why is this so?
Believe it or not, when either man looks into a piece of
coloured glass, they see the same thing. Yet they refuse
to admit it to themselves. Religion is like a piece of stained
glass and we all look into it and we all see the same thing-
GOD. However, man refuses to accept that his own Lord is
equal to another man's Lord. For example, a Hindu will never
say "Lord Vishnu is the equal of Jesus." and a
Muslim would be incensed to hear you say "Allah is
the equal of Lord Shiva." What it boils down to is
religious beliefs.
How can i make the world a better place? - By spreading
religious tolerance. In countries like India, where there
is religious conflict between the Hindus and Muslims internally
and against the Muslims in Pakistan, hey are facing both
internal strife and external problems. How much could India
have progressed if it could co-operate with its Muslim neighbours
and if the Muslims and Hindus had not been riddled with
altercations?
The spreading of this message can be done in many ways.
One of them, is through the incorporation of these values
in a child right from when he or she is a toddler. In Northern
Ireland, every Protestant child grows up thinking that every
Irish man is part of the IRA and is their enemy. This leaves
an indelible mark on the child. This means when the child
grows up, there is a high chance he will be distrustful
and detestful of the Irish. The way to prevent this is to
create a camaraderie between children of different races.
This can be done through the instillation of these values
by the family.
Toddlers hear what their parents say and repeat it just
as they do their parents' actions. What beneficial effect
would education about religious tolerance have if they turn
around and see their own parents being racist towards others
of a different race or colour? Families must bond with other
families and parents must expose their children to children
of various races so that he or she can adapt to and learn
to communicate with children of other races.
What must we do? What values must we inculcate? Firstly,
racial tolerance and secondly, anti-facism. Anti-fascism
recognises that all people, regardless of their race or
origin, are beautiful and deserve equal respect. In many
countries in the world, those with lighter skins are valued
more than those with dark skins. For example, fair Indians
are promoted as beautiful in India to the exclusion of darker,
southern Indians. In Latin countries such as Colombia, Mexico,
Cuba, Argentina and Brazil, the fairer skinned people of
European descent are featured as beautiful in advertisements
and in the media, rather than the darker skinned people
of African or indigenous descent. This problem has afflicted
us for centuries, and has often been institutionalised in
the policies of fascist political parties who have risen
to power.
An anti-fascist approach expressly rejects the notion that
people from certain groups are somehow "worth"
more than others. Fair skinned people are not prettier than
dark skinned people and those with European features are
no more beautiful than those with non-European features.
One group should not be celebrated as supreme to all other
groups, and instead people from all groups should be seen
as equals. This sounds like a simple principle for us to
follow, but sadly our history has shown that the application
of this principle has been anything but straightforward.
There are over six billion people on Earth, and all of them
go through life believing as they do because of what they
have been told. Each person measures their success and happiness
according to someone else's ideas, including those of their
parents, their peers, the media, government, politics, and
religion - just to name a few. Every person creates a belief
system, starting at birth, based upon the influence of others.
The ideas and concepts that we accept become belief structures
ingrained in our consciousness. Our conflicts spring from
attempting to take newly discovered truths and fitting them
into an old belief structure that is made up of repetitions
of half-truths, untruths, dogma, and illusions that have
been passed down through the ages. The journey of discovery
is one of personal transformation. Conflicts can be resolved
by exchanging truth for the white lies we have been taught.
The racial divide in the United States can also be called
the information divide. What we think we know and what we
do not know across racial lines can lead to actions having
misguided results. Democratic citizenry of the 21st Century
demands a sophisticated level of critical thinking and analysis
living within our rapidly changing global society. Our youths
have been raised in the information age of mass-media. They
possess the capabilities to decipher and understand the
barrage of complex news and information. The cornerstone
of developing the skills of reading one's world, rests on
the willingness to examine their culture, in particular
the dominant culture in the US. People well represented
in mainstream culture hold the power to enforce the rules
of success. When privilege exists and goes unchecked for
some people, then as the fable about the Emperor with No
Clothes illustrates, it is often the leaders in power who
lack the necessary information. This dangerous type of leadership
promotes a "societal spin" (mythology) justifying
the worldview of a few. The literacy skills of the 21st
century include the ability to discuss issues having an
emotional charge, while having the skills of listening to
multiple perspectives in order to navigate peaceful outcomes
and responsible decision making.
We the people of this world must take the steps to stop
this widespread problem. Everywhere in the world, racism
rears its ugly head. Perhaps one of the reasons racism exists
is that the majority race imposes his or her will due to
fear that the minority race might be superior in certain
aspects. A member of the minority race feels inferior. However,
in some cases the protagonist may be oversensitive due to
his or her insecurities. The fact that one has such perceptions
shows that there is some problem, social or personal, that
must be addressed. These feelings of insecurity, whether
imagined or real is a potential threat to harmony in society.
We can stop racism. How? Through sports, exchange programmes,
exhibits, inculcation of anti-protagonist values in a child
and most importantly, through education.
Through sports, we can instill these values in people. As
people of different races are 𠆏orced’ to
work together as a team to achieve victory which is the
main objective, they learn to work together as a team and
thus might understand the beliefs and the thinking processes
of another race as they interact with each other in one
way or another form a certain bond. Sports celebrities like
Ronaldinho Gaucho of Brazil and Barcelona Club Futbol and
Thierry Henry of France and Arsenal Football Club have stepped
up and joined Nike's anti-racism campaign. With millions
of children worldwide looking up to these athletes as their
heroes, children will subtly be influenced to adopt the
anti-racism approach. However sports has a down side - it
has in a way, cultivated racism. In attempts to rattle the
opposing team's players, certain fans may adopt a racist
approach. However, this is not the attitude of the majority
of sports fans.
As for the ‘mix it up’ programmes, it is
new and innovative way of promoting racial tolerance. I
can pull together a group of students who want to challenge
the social boundaries at school and form a planning committee.
We could invite students from school clubs, groups and sports
teams to help plan the agenda. Just because a person belongs
to one group, does not mean they have an easier time bridging
the divides.
Having introduced this event to my school and with the support
of teachers, the vice-principal and the principal, this
event could be suggested to the Ministry of Education and
be made a nationwide event for all schools. With approval
from the authorities, this could be done at offices too.
Exchange programmes and exhibits basically give others a
view into the lifestyle of people of another race and also,
allow the exchange student to understand and learn to respect
the religious beliefs of people of other races.
Schools too play a very big role in preventing the development
of racism. From our kindergarten days, we learn to communicate
with children of other races and this is the reason Singapore
is able to work successfully with a multiracial society.
Good education, especially on this topic, can empower anyone
in society. With knowledge comes power and with power we
can do anything.
I may just be a student but with the determination and passion
that I possess regarding the subject, I can make a difference.
