What is the Answer to Fear, Hatred and Division? Love, Kindness and Compassion
Image by Mayur Gala/Unsplash
I grew up in north London in the 1970s and went to the local primary school, which was typically multicultural and ethnically diverse for that part of the world. My classmates’ families came from the Caribbean, various African countries, China, Pakistan, India and many other places across the globe. It was a lovely, happy school. I’m sure there must have been some racism, but I don’t remember it – we all got along as young kids do, playing football, yelling and crashing around the playground. If you grow up surrounded by people of many different colours, then that is normal for you – you just like or dislike other kids because of their personality, not the colour of their skin.
I think a lot about those happier, simpler times as racist language and ideas creep back into the mainstream in my country, the US and around the world. As people face very real fears – the astronomical cost of living, the very real threat to jobs and livelihoods presented by AI, climate-related disasters and extreme weather heralding a scary, uncertain future, global conflict and social instability – populists and snake-oil salesmen slither in, giving someone to hate and blame for their problems. ‘Migrants’, ‘illegals’ and other scary people with dark skin and evil intentions, coming to steal our jobs, homes and women. These racist tropes are not new, but retain their power to shock and outrage.
Sadly, this is fertile territory for these unscrupulous chancers, because when people are scared and confused, that fear soon turns to anger and resentment. They are easily manipulated into hating those who look, speak and worship differently – in the UK it was my ancestors, the Jews, then the Irish, West Indians, Pakistanis, Eastern Europeans and anyone who seems different, who is vulnerable and in need of refuge. I thought this ignorance and nastiness had died out long ago, so it’s shocking and depressing to see it on the rise again.
Love is always the answer
So what can we do? How can we counter these false narratives, that people who don’t look like us are to be feared and blamed for our country’s ills? The first thing to remember is that most people don’t think or feel this way. The vast majority of humans, in all countries around the world, are kind, decent and fair-minded. Research shows that, on social media, a tiny fraction of accounts produce a vast majority of the content. And the algorithms amplify outrage, because it increases engagement, so those with loud, unpleasant opinions get pushed into everyone’s feed. They remain a small minority, however loud and attention-seeking they might be.
Being mindful that we make up the majority, I think we should then do what most people in this country did for my ancestors, who fled persecution in Russia at the beginning of the 20th century, and from Europe before and during WWII – extend a warm, generous welcome to those in need. If you’re in the US, where we are witnessing shocking treatment of immigrants right now, please do all you can to support and show solidarity with your friends, neighbours, the parents you meet at the school gate who may come from Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador or elsewhere. Make them feel loved and respected, like the fellow humans they are, not ‘migrants’.
We all need to meet the angry minority’s hate with love, their ignorance with wisdom and understanding, their rage with a calm but firm resolve. And remember that those full of hate are really just scared, their fear amplified and misdirected by power-hungry and unscrupulous leaders. Try speaking to those whose opinions differ from yours, being curious about their worldview and trying, with calmness and respect, to nudge them towards a more nuanced and humane stance. Help them see that those they hate are just like them, with families they love and want to protect, the vast majority simply wanting to work hard, pay taxes and contribute to society.
These are scary times, I know – I feel it too. But I passionately believe in the innate goodness of humans. We may be prone to hatred and anger, but we are also wired to love, to connect, to live in community with others. It’s how humans lived for millions of years, in small tribal groups, who hunted, gathered, ate and slept together. This atomised urban life is so new and unfamiliar – barely 200 years old, which is the blink of an eye in human history.
Love and togetherness are woven into our human DNA, so please remember that when you feel despair. We will forge a better world together, I’m sure of it.
Sending you love and strength, especially if you’re feeling hopeless or fearful right now,
Dan ❤️
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