Resistance, Conflict and Progress

I remember when I was a teenager thinking that the world was unfair.
To me.
It didnt really occur to me that the world could be unfair to others or that the level of
unfairness I experienced was in fact minor compared to that faced by a multitude of others,
all that mattered was that I felt hard done by.
That made me a very angry adolescent.
I saw insult in every look, I heard a jibe in every laugh, I felt that I was being picked on by
every single person around me, my peers, my teachers, my parents.
At some point I got over the belief that I was treated unfairly and instead slowly came to
believe that although my life isnt perfect; in comparison with a great many others it isnt too
bad at all and I began to feel thankful for all that I have and all that I can achieve if I put my
mind to it.
This allowed me to concentrate on where my own failings were and to try to correct them or
at least mitigate the consequences of them.
I also believe I have some insight into what is actually unfair and what prevents others from
having the same opportunities and I guess privileges as I do; I can see that there is still
great amounts of discrimination towards others based on their gender, their ethnicity, their
faith or their social position. I can see how the aforementioned issues affect a persons
outlook on life and how sustained discrimination can drive people towards anti-social or
illegal behaviour; after all if a society fails to protect and nurture you, do you owe it any
loyalty?
Some obviously do not think so and in their disappointment and feelings of abandonment
they decide to strike out at a presumably uncaring world; inflicting anger and violence on
others although rarely on those that have actually been responsible for any misfortune or
genuine discrimination.
In my daily life I make a conscious choice not to be angry at the few lost opportunities I
have or to grieve over what might have been although I do not ignore or forget such things
as they provide a comparative reminder of just how lucky I am.
The reminder allows me to understand why others are angry and to empathise with their
anger, although often I do not agree with their reasoning, if they have any at all. Prime
examples of this would be extreme examples of hatred towards males in general as a result
of personal experience and also the mirrored reaction of males towards feminists in
general; neither overworked reaction seems to move us towards greater equality or a safer,
more inclusive society yet both are initially justified as a legitimate complaint against an
over-reaction before they themselves mutate into something ugly and toxic, certainly
empowering in the personal sense but ultimately destructive to the causes they fight for.
It seems that for many people the solution to their perceived problems is an extremist
reaction, one that requires a scapegoat or enemy to explain difficulties and to place blame.
In my own experience I usually see that problems are the result of a lack of communication
or unwillingness to compromise, based on a groups perception that they are more
deserving than another.

Resistance, Conflict and Progress

Delving further into this ideology I again reflect on how my own ideas and beliefs have
changed over the course of years, as I seek to understand the positions of others I lose the
sense that my own are more righteous and can see that much of the time such a belief is
based on the fear borne of ignorance, rather than of accurate representations.
The most obvious example of this situation at the moment is the widespread paranoia over
Islam and the assertion by some that the religion itself is the issue rather than the practices
and ideology of terrorists. These beliefs, although simple are ultimately erroneous when
viewed in context and without being draped in a cloak of fearful ignorance; even more so
when viewed with more than surface scrutiny.
The reason for my assertion is that whenever our species is faced by great political,
sectarian or social strife we search for a simple victim; either race, ethnicity or a religion.
Doing so is easy when all three can be stereotyped according to specific historical
examples. We have in the past as a species led wide ranging attacks on ourselves based
on perceived differences which have been for the most part, inconsequential or
misconstrued. The deliberate wedges placed to separate groups within society have almost
always served to direct blame for some calamity, whether significant or not and to excuse
the excesses and worst behaviour of an antagonist.
In all cases this behaviour is attached not to the virtues of a group or of an individual but to
its personal faults and vices, which are often themselves the result of limited understanding
of consequence except in the rarest of examples where they are true acts of choice and a
deliberate decision to put aside moral and ethical responsibilities towards humanity.
In regards to why my ramblings mean anything at all I would say that I like to believe that
the motivation for most reasonable people is to have a society that allows people to live
peaceful, prosperous lives. In situations where people believe their only option is to react
violently then this is simply not possible as the longer resentment and anger underlies our
culture the more likely we are to be subject to violence and social upheaval.
Equality for all and a reduction in beliefs that place one group of people against another for
the sake of winning should be our political and ethical goal; allowing ourselves to be
distracted by petty difference or to allow the development of hard-line groups that agitate for
an Us vs. Them mentality only achieves two things; the continued embitterment of those
who feel persecuted and an increase of resources being used to perpetuate the division,
itself leading to further inequality.
As a species we must understand that the true threats to our sustained development and
prosperity is not the minorities who make handy punching bags, nor is it those who practice
faith as a conduit between them and a higher power; it is those individuals who believe they
are entitled to have power over others rather than understanding that their power is a
responsibility, not a weapon.
Entitlement borne from pride, avarice, or envy is the greatest failing of our species and one
that all people should recognize and resist.

B.Groot
04/11/2016

Resistance, Conflict and Progress