Othering

I watched a wonderful documentary film recently, for the second time.  I know that I will watch this again*.  It is honest, heartfelt, and for me an education.  I am aware that the topic means that you might not think it is for you, and that perhaps it makes you uncomfortable, I sincerely hope that is it not the case, I would challenge anyone to watch this and not be touched in some way.  It has given me the beginnings of an understanding of the challenges faced by those that are labelled just for being different in the eyes of the others, to me this means that there must be a 'normal' out there that this is being compared to which is a whole other topic which would need its own post.

Around the same time I also watched a second film on the same platform about a completely different topic but again it was about people being treated unkindly and unjustly.  I was horrified and appalled to learn about the experience of people who were trying to enjoy the beautiful countryside, that I am blessed to call home, like so many thousands of others do, that because they have a different colour skin and were wearing clothing unfamiliar to many they were questioned about what they were doing there.  

We humans all have the same needs and wants wherever we live in the world, whatever our life looks like and we look like.  We need shelter, a safe place to call home, food to nourish us, safe places to work and play.  Our external experience does not change what's inside.

I have always struggled with labels, and to be marginalised by others has always baffled and upset me.  I have often wondered if this possibly comes from a place of fear.  Fear from the person who feels that those that do not look, act and behave like themselves must be a threat to them.  A threat that is going to reduce and diminish their own place in the world.

When we fear something we don't want to get to know more about it.  Our lack of understanding feeds our fear.  We might put it in a box and ignore it, perhaps treat it with contempt, we will often do everything in our powers to not let it into our lives.  We might keep quiet about it or we might tell others, sometimes loudly.  The voices that shout the loudest are usually the ones that get heard especially when we have the power to share this many times over to reach the widest possible audience.  

Those loud voices are also shouting to, I believe, to create divisions, pitting groups against each other and thereby keeping people separate, as disparate groups who see other groups as a threat.  The media plays a role in feeding the toxicity of this division to the advantage of those who benefit from divisions. often as a diversionary tactic so you don't notice other things going on.  We are a social species who thrive on being with others and living alongside others in harmony, when we are divided we are weakened and life becomes considerably less harmonious.

I listened to an episode of a podcast recently, it was one that I had been listening to for some time but I had sensed a subtle change of direction over the previous few episodes.  I was no longer nodding my head along to the words I was hearing, my forehead was getting more and more furrowed with each episode as the words drifted further and further into areas that did not make for comfortable listening.  I am all for being challenged by what I am listening to and actively seek out podcasts that do this for me.  I do not want an echo chamber in my ears, constantly feeding me with words that do not make me see things from a different perspective.  The discussion was dismissive and finding fault with the views of others which were the opposite to their own.  There was no explanation as to why, they were just wrong, apparently.  I stopped following this lazy journalism, but I am sure that there are many that will continue to listen.  

We are never all going to agree on everything, I would not want to live in a world where that was so, but we all deserve a voice, whatever our views and opinions.  I believe that there would be more tolerance in the world and we would not hear words that are so violent towards others, if all voices were given a space and listened to.  I believe that this would start the healing process of engendering a sense of community, belonging, cohesion, looking out for each other, of care towards ourselves and others, being part of something, the togetherness would feed and nourishes us.   When we don't feel isolated and resent others who are different to us, we are no longer wary of them.

It feels to me, that divisions all over the world are getting worse.  I hold onto the hope that there are enough people out there who don't want to live in a world like that.  We are the ones that need to have a quiet revolution of compassion.

* I watched it on this website, a rather wonderful collection of documentary films of varying lengths about a huge range of very interesting subjects, it is free to sign up.

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When I was pondering the title to this post I considered the word Division, I was worried that folks would think it was a post about maths and maybe not click through.  I know that maths is a subject that some people are not fond of, a divisive topic in itself.  In the way that my brain works I then moved onto to the maths symbol for division and in the light of where my thoughts were swirling considered it in a completely different way, not as a maths symbol,  ÷ , it became the top of two heads divided by a wall.