The Great Human Divide

One must be careful not to incite negativity but at the same time there may be a wound where something needs to be done to heal it. Unfortunately many such painful afflictions are hidden from common view. They fester and even grow like a cancer. They can grow to a point that may become overwhelming.

It has been fifty years since the great civil rights movement in this country. Back then it was mostly about race relationships, but along with that movement women’s rights were addressed as well.

The Civil Rights Laws of the 1960s covered a fairly wide spectrum of discriminatory practices including race, gender, handicap, and such. Its purpose was to guarantee all citizens equal protection of the law. In spite of passing and modifying amendments, imposing laws and changing the hearts and minds of people does not necessarily work congruently.

In truth most people have prejudices, but they may not realize it, or just don’t want to admit being so shallow-minded. When people are different from us we normally see the difference and at times, without consciously thinking about it, draw a line in our minds. This is how the mind does things. It makes distinctions about data. It also forms opinions about things that it recognizes.

When you see someone who is grossly overweight your mind makes a distinction about them, and perhaps a judgment as well. You may not consciously do that, but in this society we are programmed accordingly. We are fed images of what is considered to be beautiful, leaving the insinuation that others are not beautiful.

Even black things have been labeled as bad or evil while things white are considered to be good and pure. Such labels carry over into people and things as well. A black cat is considered bad luck. A hero usually rode on a white horse from the cowboy movies, while the villain rode on a black one. We have been programmed to be color-conscious and with it come prejudices.

Just in case you are not aware, there are black people that are prejudiced against other blacks. There are white people that are prejudiced against other whites. There are Mexicans who are prejudiced against other Mexicans. In fact within most races there are prejudices.

There are Jews that hate other Jews, Muslims warring against each other, Christians killing each other, or Catholics against Catholics. When it comes to religious prejudices there are wars inside families that cause brothers to turn against each other. Prejudices are not just limited to certain races.

This is not to make light of the major Black and White racial issues we have faced in America for hundreds of years, but an attempt to identify a sickness at its very root. In a sense prejudices are natural. It is the way things are distinguished. The problem happens when people use certain distinguishing qualities and vilify one against another.

In truth differences are the way nature expresses itself. Differences are the rule rather than sameness. The world, even the universe, is comprised of innumerable differences that were often intentionally designed that way and for specific purposes, from the beginning. However, somehow, and somewhere in our small minds we decided to make them something bad.

Image a world all yellow, all pink, all green, all white, all black, or all one color? Would we really want all things to be the same? What if we all looked alike, would that be a world you would appreciate more?

I say to you, our prejudices are etched in our small human minds. They are not the rule; we just made them seem so. I know it is hard to deprogram your mind, but that is our challenge.

When you see yourself judging others because of some perceived difference, override that thought and replace it with something positive. It’s not always easy to find the good in things, but that too would be your personal challenge. Challenges usually push us beyond where we would normally go. They assist us in becoming our best.

Take on the personal challenge of erasing many of the senseless prejudices you are hoarding. There are too many more serious issues in the world today than to divide us over the color of one's skin, their weight, gender, preferences, and the like.

Perhaps the greatest human divide of them all is the one inside your own mind that compels you to take issues against your fellow man. The great human divide is stored in the mind of mankind.