THE STRUGGLE FOR BASIC HUMAN RIGHTS

Amid all the unrest currently here in the U.S., it is so sad to see today, in the XXI century, after thousands of years of living together as human beings, almost 250 years as a country, and 155 years as free men and women (the abolition of slavery in 1865), Americans, and the world, are still divided by labels like race, religion, caste, ethnicity, language, political beliefs, etc. The United States is a country that takes pride in its origins, founders, accomplishments, freedoms, way of life, democracy, and so many other things, but it is also a country that continues to struggle for some of the most basic human rights like equality and freedom of race and religion, education, health care, and food and housing among many others. It is also a country that loves to use labels to categorize everything. Unfortunately, using labels is a double-edge sword.

The use of labels can be troublesome, and it is worse when those labels are used to categorize human beings. Certainly, labels can be beneficial in some cases like in the case of individuals that require special resources needed to thrive. But labels do have a potential downside. When you use labels to categorize a large number of things, you lose valuable information. Humans are so much more than either “black” or “white”, “Christian” or “Jewish”, "rich” or "poor", "smart" or "dumb", "gifted" or "ungifted", “fat” or “slim”, “pretty” or “ugly”, etc. 

It has been scientifically demonstrated that “When we split people up into such dichotomous categories, the large variation within each category is minimized whereas differences between these categories are exaggerated,” says Scott Barry Kaufman, Scientific Director of The Imagination Institute in the Positive Psychology Center at the University of Pennsylvania. “Truth is, every single person on this planet has their own unique combination of traits and life experiences, which makes them unique. While this isn't true of objects, such as rocks, books, and television sets, it's true of humans. Which is why we must be very, very careful when we allow labels to get in the way of our perceptions of reality.”

Although we can break down this struggle in many different elements and look at each of them separately (different standpoints), each of them being right in their own way, the real source of the entire issue can be summarized as “identity.” When labels are used on people, people will get categorized. And when people get categorized, they will get identified with their category. Keep in mind that identities can also come from common labels like job positions (i.e., supervisor, owner, etc.), jobs (i.e., policeman/policewoman, guard, bouncer, etc.), status, fame, sex affiliation, family position (i.e., parent, uncle, aunt, etc.), etc. Once people get identified with certain labels, with time, they may take advantage of people with a different label/category just because they do not look, speak, behave, believe in, etc. the same or just simple because “they do not like them” or “have the power to take advantage of them.”

Most people are still completely ignorant about the effect of identity on themselves and society, and the way that identity is manipulated by groups, society, institutions, and governments. If we look at the composition of who we think we are, or what is commonly called “our personality,” we will find that is composed by a large set of identities associated with everything we believe, including nationality, religion, creed, color, language, sex orientation, etc. We have created such an ingrained, fixed, and rigid concept of who we think we are that we struggle all of our lives just because our personality with all its identities is working against us all the time. 

And to add insult to injury, identities are being used against us all the time. “Men should not cry,” “A woman should serve a man and be submissive,” “This is the best country in the world,” “It is the price of freedom,” “Winning is the only thing that matters,” “Even second place is a looser,” etc. are all slogans to create identity which can be used later for us to do, behave or justify certain actions which may not be the most integral, honest, or the best way to behave or act and that can be conducive to discrimination, abuse, destruction, and even murder.

Identities are like a mathematical addition. As you add more identities, you add more power or reasons to justify what you are doing. If you add to one identity (authority/power) one or more identities (race, religion, etc.), then you have a very dangerous combination due to the fact that each identity adds more fuel to the fire. Once you think that one race or religion is better than another; or the opposite, once you think that one race or religion is worse than another one, then you have the opportunity for all types of discrimination and abuses to happen. We continually see this again and again all across the country, and the world, from the part of the police but also from the part of many other groups that somehow, think that they are better, that their country should only be theirs, that there is no place for thoughts or beliefs different from theirs, and for many other reasons.

So, what should we do? When there is a clear case of discrimination or abuse, on the one hand, we have the right to protest, march and ask for accountability and transparency from part of the perpetuators, its institutions, the government and the justice system. But these protests and marches must be held peacefully. All these institutions and government officials were elected to work for us, to help us and protect us. If they are not doing their jobs, then we must protest and make sure to vote to change them when the opportunity comes. This is our civil duty and the best way to make the changes required and things right. 

On the other hand, we do not have the right to take justice into our own hands, to become violent, to loot and destroy in the name of justice. This type of behavior only exacerbates the problem and is usually perpetuated by one or more groups of individuals with a different agenda taking advantage of a unique situation. Violence has never solved anything! We continue using the same types of solutions based on violence and war to resolve the same types of problems that have existed for centuries, and they have never worked. When violence happens, innocent people, including policemen and policewomen, will get injured or die; innocent businesses will get destroyed, looted or robbed; and innocent store, car, merchandize, etc. owners will get affected financially and emotionally by the property damage and loss.

We can blame many for this human struggle, for the struggle of our basic human rights, including our parents, our education, our society, and our government; but we are as guilty as they are because we have not questioned, and/or done anything to change, our lives, our purpose, and our ways. It is much easier to blame others than to take responsibility. We are so set in our way of living and it is so comfortable that most people do not realize what is going on and, if they do, they are not even willing to even consider changing the way things are. We are always trying to solve everything that is happening to us by changing the outside, but the problem is not outside. It is not certain groups, society or our government. It is us! We need to change ourselves so we can create better families, groups, communities, institutions, governments, and world.

If we were able to rationalize that the only thing that makes us different is our perception, our own identities and beliefs applied to everything and everyone, then we would realize how wonderful diversity is, how marvelous human beings are, and how miraculous life is. Everything does not have to be the way we want or think it should be. If we were able to destroy all of our identities and what we think we are and just exist, exist to the best of our abilities, we would be able to embrace and include everyone and everything as part of us. In reality, there should be only one nation, the universe; one race, the living; one religion, love; and one slogan: “One world, one universe, one consciousness!”


Author: Maurice Correa
Website: pathtoone.com

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