Layers of racism. Are you sure you are not being racist in some way? Think again...
Racism is one of the things that should be part of our history but sadly it still is evident in our present. It is a concept that has layers such as patriotism, nationalism and pride that were designed for the same purpose of keeping humanity separated and distracted with fighting each other so they are easier to be controlled in groups. It’s very common for most of our society to feel pride towards nationalities, religious beliefs, physical appearances, political parties and even sport teams. In the majority of the cases, we tend to feel the need to fight and defend our country to compete with other nations to be on the top in all aspects worldwide. When we analyze these types of concepts and perspectives, we soon realize that our definitions of nationalism, patriotism and pride have a lot to do with our social issues. This is something that is not easily recognizable at first, but the mentioned terms are the ones that have destroyed and kept humanity divided since the beginning of our civilization. We might wonder, how could it be possible that by having pride and love for a country or a particular label can keep humanity separated?
When we talk about the meaning of the concepts of patriotism and nationalism, it is vital to understand the differences that exist between these ideas because they usually create confusion. Nationalism is when we judge or reject other countries and their habitats before our own, while patriotism is when we give more value to the life of the people from our own country than the individuals from other nationalities or ethnicities, and when we prioritize the ones who support our beliefs more than the rest. For example, the chaotic situation that is currently happening in Syria and the dramatic situation that happened in Paris in 2015 where 129 people got killed.
When we sit down and think about it, the situation in Syria is much more serious than the one that has occurred in France, where thousands of people including innocent kids are being killed on a daily basis. So how can it be explained that many of us still give more value to the tragedy that occurred in Paris and completely forget about the thousands of innocents whose lives are taken daily in other nations because of absurd wars? This is just an example of how nationalism and patriotism create an illusion among all humanity; we simply give more value and prioritize the life of certain groups of people over others.
It’s understandable that many of us might not be able to understand how these types of concepts can keep human beings in duality and cause them to constantly compete with each other in all levels such as economic, social, environmental and technological to name a few. We cannot deny and ignore that regardless of where we are born, what color our skin is and what our beliefs are, absolutely every single one of us is a human being. Once we start contemplating these types of perspectives in our mind, it becomes easier to comprehend how patriotism, nationalism, pride or any other type of concept related to racism, have been an illusionary program designed to manipulate large groups of people efficiently. If we explore how we use the concept of “pride” in particular areas, we can realize that it is something we strictly relate to the way we perceive our “identity” on the planet. Many feel prideful only for the things that were given to us by birth, such as our physical appearance. But is pride a concept that should be only connected to things that are not, and never were, part of our own work, efforts and perseverance? From a universal perspective, pride is only an idea that is related to the feeling of satisfaction that an individual experiences after persevering in something and being able to achieve a particular goal with his or her own efforts, and not something that was given to them since birth.
Pride is one of the terms that create most hate and racism in the world because of the way we use it. Therefore, it is something we have to take seriously and change our definition of, so we can evolve the consciousness of humanity in all expressions of life. And at the same time, we can eliminate all the constant conflicts and resentments that exist within mankind because of illusionary differences. It is understandable that most of us feel love for the geographical places of earth where we were born, raised or lived at some point; It’s completely okay to feel grateful for what we have experienced in those environments, and have appreciation for the people who have been around us most of our life that have shaped who we are today. But how does it benefit us to mix our personal pride with the pride towards particular groups of individuals? It’s not a secret that for many of us, planet earth represents home and is everything we have to live for, which is why many feel completely different than other ethnicities because of where we come from in the world. Let's also remember that there are many other planets and galaxies out there with things that the majority of us completely ignore its existence of. Because of that, to talk about Americans, Africans, Asians or Spanish people is not as relevant from a universal perspective. When we look at earth from space, we don’t perceive separations or borders that categorize each human ethnicity as a different race. Of course, we all have different ways to think, diverse physical features and different cultural values that makes us unique on the planet. But when we examine it from a scientific perspective, absolutely all the genetic information and cellular memory that exist within our DNA, reveals that we are all human beings no matter what. Dogs are dogs regardless of their breed, humans are humans regardless of their beliefs and where they come from.
Once we start shifting the way we perceive our world and the people from all over, that’s when we can start developing compassion and appreciation towards all humanity. We can’t ignore the fact that it is very contradictory to call ourselves the “human race”, when there is not unity; we don’t work together as a whole, not even on the basic levels which are needed to be considered as a race. Unfortunately, we still split ourselves in extreme behaviors and create disgust towards others because of the same illusion. There is nothing wrong about loving and appreciating the people who raised us, for the country that gave us the opportunity to succeed and the culture that gave us many unforgettable memories, but let’s not forget that when we give more value or priority to some individuals more than others, it becomes part of the concept of racism. It’s not just about black versus white, or east versus west, but more about all the layers that exist within our definitions of “pride”. We have to realize that all of these conflicts arise from a lack of understanding towards "our own people" and understand that we are all part of the same creation.
"I could never understand ethnic or national pride. Because to me, pride should be reserved for something you achieve or attain on your own, not something that happens by accident of birth. Being Irish isn't a skill; it’s a fucking genetic accident. You wouldn't say “I’m proud to be 5’11”. I’m proud to have a predisposition for colon cancer.” So why the fuck would you be proud to be Irish, or proud to be Italian, or American or anything?"
― George Carlin