Saving Our Society

Can we hold onto our virtues?

Ending racial disharmony

Before we can solve issues of racial disharmony, we must face a fact about human nature: humans are naturally apprehensive when encountering people who are noticeably different in appearance,language; and in modern times, religion, habits, etc. In other words, we are naturally wary of strangers.

Perceived differences have motivated struggles over power, wealth, property or prestige. This can become a deadly serious problem. These antagonisms have led to wars, mass murders, starvation and have destroyed nations. To a large extent, we have allowed this instinct to unnecessarily result in racial tensions.

Although these are natural, self-protective instincts, we don’t have to let them control our reactions to others. America has a remarkably open society. We are never really strangers to each other, and the more we see of others, the less like strangers we become. If you travel the world, wherever you encounter Americans, they are not strangers; they are like your neighbors–maybe not ones you particularly care for–but neighbors still.

To be neighbors, we don’t all have to live in the same neighborhoods, have the same religion, or politics or color. Of course, having shared experiences makes it a little easier to be neighborly, but if they restrict our getting to know each other, they are not serving our best interests.

This brings me to my main point. It is in Americans’ best interest to treat all our fellow citizens as neighbors. This is not just a matter of brotherly love; it is of vital importance for our present and future. Without a high degree of unity, a nation cannot long exist.

Many Americans may think that we alone have problems with our “melting pot;” but we are actually lucky that we are mostly immigrants, but without the baggage (until recently) of an unassimilated mass immigration partially tied to another country. Unlike Canada, we have needed to learn only the one language, which binds us all together. We are not (yet) like Russia, divided into many smaller nations seeking their own way. We are not like parts of Africa with murderous racial and religious conflicts. We are not like those counties, and we must make sure we never become like them.  

How do we save our society? Start with treating everyone the same, regardless of their differences. Do not seek or allow privilege for any group.