I write this blog entry with some level of trepidation. You see, for the past year I have been doing a lot of reading and pondering about some of the current states of the world on a variety of social and political, and dare I say, religious issues. As I look at the new year ahead of me I am both hopeful for the great things to come and apprehensive towards the trends I see in many regards. Everywhere I look on the internet today I find more and more that troubles me. Pick the topic, and it brings a pain deep to the heart of my soul. Some say that there is an Islam problem. Some say there is an immigration problem. Some say that there is a problem with those who believe in Judaism, others with those who are Christian, and some say it is a problem with those who do not believe at all. Some say that the pains are due to the agenda of the left wing, others due to the agenda of the right. Some will put the blame on one specific global political leader, and others on an entire group of people. As I take a step back and look at as much of the big picture as my perspective can take in, I boil all the debate down to one thing: there is a serious lack of Love in this world with an over-abundance of Hate.
Recently there were a handful of violent events that left 17 people dead in Paris. They were at work, at the grocery store, or on the street. The attacks were carried out by Islamic radicals who were, for lack of a better understanding of it, making a message to the world about their interpretations of Islam. A few months ago we had two separate incidents in Canada that left two of our soldiers dead, specifically targeted by those with similar beliefs. All throughout the year there have been attacks on much larger scales on entire communities and nations, and many of us in the world are scared by it. There was yet another bloody conflict in Israel last summer, and this fuelled not only anti-Islam rhetoric but anti-Israel and anti-Semitic rhetoric as well. Just the other day I heard the story of a young girl who was, as I understand it, forced to wear a bomb into a Nigerian market. Upon her arrival at the market the bomb was detonated, killing herself and at least 10 others. This was just part of Boko Haram's concerted attacks in Nigeria. Some argue that radicalised Islam is at war with the rest of the world. I can see how that observation can be made.
Add to that a growing unrest in the US currently against law enforcement officers. A number of questionable killings of black individuals is having people accuse all white police officers of being racists. There was an incident last month of two NYPD officers being gunned down in their patrol car. With that resurfaces the debate over gun-control, and members of both sides in that argument take aim at each other with insults and contempt. In the political arenas of the world debate becomes less and less about discussion of ideas to create solutions to common problems, and more and more about getting the right sound-bite that will help you get re-elected. Politicians will denounce those who switch to other parties as being undemocratic one month, then cross the floor themselves the next. People stand up for freedom of speech by tweeting "Je suis Charlie", but demand that someone who is giving a pro-life speech at a university be banned from speaking there. We say we value the teachings of our particular religion, yet we insult others who do not share our views. We say that we value what makes individuals unique, but then when they move to our country we expect them to talk like we do, dress like we do, think like we do. Last year Quebec tried to ban the wearing of overt religious symbols by public employees, and many people rallied behind that cry saying that people should only practice their faith in their homes and places of worship. Thankfully there were many more who fought against it and won.
It is appearant to me that there is a growing movement of hatred. Maybe that hatred has always existed and it is only becoming more vocal. Maybe the anonymity that is inherent in the internet is making it more easy to broadcast that message. Regardless of the reason, hatred is rampant in this world. People are finding that it is easier to hate thy neighbour than to love them. We expect that those who disagree with us or are different from us must change to be more like us. People are saying that multiculturalism is a failure, that immigrants are eroding the way of life. Historians are predicting the fall of the great American Empire, citing lessons from the past. I am worried about other lessons that are being ignored, such as the true cost of hate and fear. I am concerned that those lessons that have been so painfully learned from the past are being forgotten.
We say that we have come so far since those times, but it feels more like we have been travelling in a circle and are on the path that our forefathers have warned us not to tread. I look upon the faces of my children and wonder what kind of world they will grow up in. I look back to my ancestors to learn from their lessons of the past. I am particularly drawn to my mother's German heritage. During World War II my great grandfather, Heinrich Hermann Hassforther, worked in a government office. Each day he processed lists of names of those who were deemed enemies of the state, or at the very least were people that the Nazi's should keep a close eye on. Quite often the individuals on the list would disappear into the night. One day the names of his daughter and her husband, my maternal grandparents, came up on a list. He quietly disposed of the list. He knew he could not do the same for every list that came across his desk, but this was family. He silently made a stand against a government that he believed were wrong to save his family. Not only did he save his daughter, but generations that came from her family. Imagine, my little Barbara, who was named after the granddaughter of Heinrich Hassforther, and my dearest Hope, who brings what her name intends, would not exist today had it not been for that one act of defiance. The spirit of Heinrich's goodness was passed onto his daughter that he saved. I suspect that her name was on the list because she was sneaking food and warm clothing into the camps where Russian POWs were being held during the winter, outdoors with nothing to keep them warm. My own grandmother tried to help the soldiers of the enemy. That is love. When my German grandparents moved to Toronto after the war, nobody would give my Opa a job. Nobody, at least, except a Jewish man, who looked beyond the pain in his own soul and did not worry that my grandfather was German.
So as I look at the grief and pain in the world today, I feel the pain in my own soul. I read comments from people suggest that to deal with the "Muslim-terrorist" problem that there should be a "Muslim tax" put into place to help pay for the damages that Islamic extremists are inflicting on society. It was even offered that Muslims who do not wish to pay the tax can earn exemptions by turning in members of their community who are planning terrorist activities. I thought for a moment that I had found a vortex back to the days of Heinrich Hassforther, standing in his office, looking at a piece of paper with the names of Jewish sympathizers. Is this really where we have arrived?
I see individuals shout that religion should only be practised in homes, churches, mosques, and synagogues, as if a person's religious practices can be turned on and off like a switch. A marginalized component of society has been emerging from the closets that society put them in, and it feels like those with religious beliefs are being forced into the closets to fill the void. If your political party is on the right of the spectrum, your opponents call you a fascist. If it's on the left, you are labelled a communist. Where is the end of the hatred?
So what am I to do? I raise my daughters and teach my students to love those, especially if they are different from you. I police myself in having unkind feelings towards others and judging them. I pray each night that our Father in Heaven can in some way soften the hearts of His children. I voice my thoughts on the internet and brace myself for the backlash. Presently I keep an ear open to such hatred surfacing at my school (thankfully I have not heard much of that yet). I watch Muppets with Barbara while we snack on jelly beans. I cuddle Hope every chance I get. I cannot shield my children from the evil in the world (and yes, hatred towards others is inherently evil), but I can at least insulate them with as much love as I can provide them. It is a small thing, but apparently every great event begins with a small thing.
