Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. are two of the most well-known representatives of the fight for equality in our history. Their love of humanity and the sacrifices they made to promote racial equality and justice cannot be overstated. We have come a long way, and this needs to be acknowledged, but we still have a long way to go. I thought we would address this very important issue today with a basic understanding of what it’s all about and where we are ultimately headed.
Every race or group throughout our very long history has attempted to dominate. The implication here is that in order to dominate, there must also be a need to oppress. These are the two sides of the equation. As we have previously discussed, this need to dominate is based upon or generated from a lack of awareness of the greater whole. Our awareness of this greater whole and what it represents evolves over time through our experience. The main goal or purpose of our existence is the full development of the heart and the love that it contains. As this loving understanding continues to develop, it expands our level of awareness from a self-centered focus and motivation to a group-centered focus and motivation. Our attitude and approach to living are becoming more inclusive. This is a glimpse into the overall plan for humanity and, believe it or not, we are progressing quite well. This can be difficult to see with all the hatred and violence still so prevalent in our society. Let’s take a closer look.
To properly define racism, we need to understand what it is based upon. Hatred, and the violent actions it tends to create, are only a symptom of what lies underneath. It is fear that is the cause of hatred and rage. This is what we are working with. When fear is in control of our experience, love is not present. When a person feels inferior and lacks a sense of identity and purpose, there is an attempt to manufacture it outside themselves through a need to dominate and oppress. The fear of difference and the prejudices it produces is a reflection of this basic lack of self-understanding. It is important for those of us who are further along in this self-understanding to be compassionate toward those who are not as far along in the process. In time, everyone will learn and grow into greater love and self-awareness. We will get there by paying attention to our experience and what we are feeling inside ourselves. Fear will ultimately provide such an intense feeling of aloneness that we must let go and choose a different direction.
If we go back to the idea of dominance and the unfortunate result it creates, oppression, there are a few things to consider. From a higher or universal viewpoint, there is no individual, group, or race that is better than another. It is a fact that we all come from the same source. With this level of understanding comes the recognition that being special is false and must be abandoned. Our goal then is to find those things that we all have in common. Race, ethnicity, gender, country of origin are all surface manifestations. It is the substance of the person we must learn to relate to. If we were physically blind, the color of a person’s skin would not be an issue you see. Our prejudices and hatreds are created within our own minds through our need to be special and important. The identity and purpose we seek can be found within our own hearts. Universal love is our common ground. While we are working on developing this level of awareness, let’s keep in mind the following three stages of experience, and we will find that racism, sexism, religious intolerance, and bigotry of all kinds will eventually be eliminated:
Ignorance
Ignorance is really about the level of experience an individual has. It is most often overcome through exposure to diversity alone, but also includes the education a person has received through schooling and their own particular upbringing. It also has much to do with geography in terms of what the person is exposed to. Rural or isolated communities tend to lack diversity in their population.
Tolerance
When a person finds, through their experience, that they are not harmed by the differences in others, it can be allowed. There is no need to fight something that is non-threatening. Generally speaking, larger metropolitan areas make these conditions more possible. I currently happen to live in a rural mountain community. The local people who grew up here fear differences of all kinds, including city people! Again, exposure to diversity and a little more education can help resolve these fears. What we fear most is the fear of the unknown.
Acceptance
The final stage happens over a long period of time as we gain the experiences necessary to understand ourselves and others. It is not possible to truly accept another until self-love, acceptance, and understanding are in place. This is our ultimate goal. We are in the process of developing the inclusive love that is required in order to find our essential purpose of working together. The substance of us is the same.
Before I end our discussion today, I would like to point out how this idea of dominance and oppression is working through society today. When an individual or group of individuals intends to dominate, they require tools in order to make oppression happen. We have discussed at length that the very best way to dominate others is through the withholding of resources. There are many business leaders, political leaders, and yes, even religious leaders who intend to use people’s fears against them in order to remain in positions of power. Their various beliefs and policies come from the perspective of selfishness and greed. It is absolutely clear that the dominating force, especially in the United States, is the white, heterosexual, Christian male. This needs to be properly recognized and understood. What this group needs to realize is that they do not own things. They have no special rights. They are no more important than anyone else. Resources are provided by the greater universe, or God, for all of us. It is critical that they learn how to share and recognize that they too are part of a greater whole. The foundation of a misconceived and misunderstood white patriarchy is false and slowly coming to an end. An inclusive, loving awareness is what we can all look forward to and fully participate in.
Thanks for joining me today. I understand this time of transition into a better future for all is a difficult process. I also fully realize what it is like to be hated and feared. We must all be strong and patient and recognize that we are loved beyond our imagination. Stand up for yourself when it is required, and continue to pursue the equality that is necessary for our survival.
All my love and support, stay safe and be well