Fear, Hate & Travel

In the wake of the tragic events in Christchurch New Zealand, where islamaphobia and white supremacy once again came crashing down in violence and bloodshed, I’ve been reflecting a bit on the world that we live in, and the legacy we might be leaving to our children.

I was once of the opinion that the world had gotten better over time, that we had evolved from the tribalism of our early homo sapiens days, we had moved past the ignorance that drove the bloodshed of the crusades, the african slave trade,the second world war and so many other spasms of human violence that to document them alone would take up this entire space.

Now I’m not so sure. 

I’m beginning to think that all we’ve done is cover up the ignorance in a thin veneer of civility brought about by the interdependence of finances and greed, and that all it took to pierce that veil was permission; permission provided by ignorance and isolation, and the normalization of hate in popular media, social media and politics.

While it is tempting to throw my hands in the air, lament this sad state of affairs and declare it beyond my ability to fix, I cannot.  I cannot because I don’t want this to be the reality I live in, and what’s more, I don’t want it to be the reality that my children inherit.

I believe that the solution to the blind hate of “others” lies in education,not in the reading of books or recital of lectures, but in an immersive understanding of how those “others” live, experience life, love,and have hopes for their children.  I believe that if you have shared a meal, laughter, or tears, have stared in wonder at nature alongside someone then you cannot help but recognize that we are all much more the same than different in this world.

So, instead of just shedding tears and offering thoughts and prayers we do those things, and we also continue to educate ourselves and our children.  In our travels we have visited more than 30 countries, including many where people live very very different lives than Canadians and yet they have the same hopes of prosperity, and peace.  We saw first hand that there is very little to be afraid of in spite of being told to “be careful” in countries like Albania, Turkey, Tunisia, Morocco, St. Vincent, Dominica, Cuba, Guatemala & Honduras. 

"...we are all much more the same than different in this world."

The world will move on from the tragedies of today and those of tomorrow that is nearly certain, but I believe that the way to truly make progress and eliminate hate and fear is to expose yourself to the things you don’t know about.  Embrace the new immigrants in your community, visit a church/mosque/temple that is not your own, participate in cultural events and if you can, travel.