diversity
Each of us stands as individuals. We belong to groups and ascribe to labels, but ultimately they are nothing more than comfortable shorthand to avoid having to know strangers or even friends too closely. They are the accepted form of connection from a distance.
When that convenient shorthand starts to stand in for the thoughts and feelings of millions of people it has failed to be useful and becomes harmful. We as atheists are guilty of this. All to often we will rail against Christians by connecting the word with the religions right and those who seek to have us run out of town or tell us to go back where we came from despite the fact that we weren’t born anywhere but here.
There are so many more Christians than those who belong Pat Roberson’s ilk. At some level I hope we know that, even if sometimes we forget it or a particularly good one liner gets the better of us.
If we can expect that of ourselves, we can ask it of other people. We can expect and demand that we look at people with fresh eyes. And we are looked upon with innocent curiosity.
People come in all shapes, sizes, colors, thoughts, beliefs and ideologies. It serves no one to choose one particular variant of person to hate. It serves no one to lose sight of the beliefs of others and realize they came to those opinions through thought and consideration. We are not all put together the same way and we come to different conclusions due to different natures and nurture experiences. We come to the table with pre-conceptions. I’m not suggesting surrendering our own beliefs but it is necessary to respect those conceptions and take the time to think about how they got there instead of randomly dismissing them.
This is what a diverse poly-cultural society must do it must be able to accept that people you disagree with came to those conclusions because they started from a different place not because they are in some way fundamentally flawed. Understanding how they got there enable s meaningful discussion ignoring it engenders hate. Hate benefits nothing.
–Zafkiel