There's no them...Only us
The problem isn't religion, politics or even capitalism...These are just the systems that have figured out something at the core of humanity- the drive , the hunger to ascend out of whatever mire we are in. It's giving hairless apes the chance to be more than their flesh..To transcend beyond the limitations of business, state or even physics.
Look at any comic book thread ans see how viciously people will fight over Marvel versus DC, how quickly fans of one football team can mock the other. Sure it can all be good clean competitive fun and that's healthy.Ideas that we care about give us both the passion to reach beyond what we can grasp, but it also fuels apathy and dehumanization of the people who hold ideas contrary to our own. They become the other..They become them. It's a cliche for a reason that fire can warm you on a cold night, but left to run wild can incinerate all you hold dear.
As the world becomes more of a space for I-where my freedoms and individuality are more celebrated and venerated than ever, it's becoming easier to forget that when it really truly comes down to it, the ideas matter...but people matter more. That there is no them. Only us.
We look back in time and see wars and pillaging and slavery and wonder how people could do that..and then call people fools and rush to take advantage of others for our own gain because there's only so much that can go around. We are an oxymoron. Civilized barbarians. We just know how to dress up our savagery better. We still think of them as not part of us.
Now more than ever we need to be mindful. As we appreciate the fruits of being unshackled from being just another one of the masses, to know that we have a responsibility like no other generation to unshackle the people we encounter daily from the inhumane ideas we caricature them with in-order to make ourselves feel better for not giving a damn about them.
Look at any comic book thread ans see how viciously people will fight over Marvel versus DC, how quickly fans of one football team can mock the other. Sure it can all be good clean competitive fun and that's healthy.Ideas that we care about give us both the passion to reach beyond what we can grasp, but it also fuels apathy and dehumanization of the people who hold ideas contrary to our own. They become the other..They become them. It's a cliche for a reason that fire can warm you on a cold night, but left to run wild can incinerate all you hold dear.
As the world becomes more of a space for I-where my freedoms and individuality are more celebrated and venerated than ever, it's becoming easier to forget that when it really truly comes down to it, the ideas matter...but people matter more. That there is no them. Only us.
We look back in time and see wars and pillaging and slavery and wonder how people could do that..and then call people fools and rush to take advantage of others for our own gain because there's only so much that can go around. We are an oxymoron. Civilized barbarians. We just know how to dress up our savagery better. We still think of them as not part of us.
Now more than ever we need to be mindful. As we appreciate the fruits of being unshackled from being just another one of the masses, to know that we have a responsibility like no other generation to unshackle the people we encounter daily from the inhumane ideas we caricature them with in-order to make ourselves feel better for not giving a damn about them.
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