The Seed of Hatred

The Seed of Hatred is not planted at birth. The seed is planted by the actions, non-actions, and the attitudes of those in control. It is planted by adults within schools, governments who make the laws which govern a society and "civil rights" groups who forget that civil rights belong to all humans. Hatred is perpetrated by a small group and fed insidiously into the masses.

Human beings do not leave the womb with preconceived notions on race, lifestyle, or division. A white infant can fall into the hands of a black doctor without knowing anything other than their first bond on a human level with another human. A Latino child can be adopted into a family of another color and know nothing other than the love they are or are not given. One child can be born within a family with the hands and the spirit of a violinist while their sibling can be born into the same family with the spirit and hands of a football player. Neither child is better or more revered than the other within the heart of their parent...each is special and loved in their place within the family.

Humans are in essence a family, with the common bonds and qualities to form a relationship between them all. We simply forget this at times.

When I was growing up my mother taught me there were two types of people - "decent" people - and "trash" people. Decent people were those who cared for themselves, cared for their families and others, cared for their belongings, worked hard for the things they needed or wanted in life, and put themselves forth into the world with dignity and honor. Trash, were people who cared for nothing, destroyed everything they or others had, had no respect for life or other humans, did not work, and wanted everything given to them for free. And once they were given for free, they would destroy what they were given because they were without reason or conscience to do otherwise.

My mother also taught me there were decent and trash of every color, every "race". No one color or race had exclusivity on either. Because of this I never saw people as a "color" I saw them as decent or not decent. I lived in a small town where population was limited. The population consisted of people of many different races, people who all lived together in a community as friends and neighbors regardless of their beginnings. As I grew older, I was shocked to discover there was a "race" issue in the rest of the world. So, I started evaluating the reasons behind this.

We live in a country of much diversity. I would have it no other way. Diversity is beautiful. Look at a field of flowers. If they are all white, then yes it is pretty in its own way...but add in some pinks and purples and blues...the beauty then is almost astounding. But, you also go from simplicity to complexity.

Our society is complex, just as is the universe we live in. Racism itself is an issue of complexity. Where does it come from? What fears, what actions motivate racism? I have spent many years looking at this issue I myself have no personal understanding of. When I look at a person, I only see a person. Somewhat like a child.

For many years I have taken children into my home. One Christmas Eve I was called and asked if I would take three children who were at the police department and no one else was available. I was asked if I would be willing to have "black" children. To me, they were just children. The children spent several days with me. They were from Compton, California, where white people are not in abundance. One day, while outside taking care of the yard, one of the children looked at me and her eyes got huge and she said "OHHHH!" I smiled at her and asked "What?"

With extreme surprise she said..."You are WHITE!"

I laughed and said..."Why yes, I am."

She said "But I love you! How can I?"

We spent the next hour discussing the fact we are all people and you can love people regardless of color or life circumstance. Her statement proved to me that because I was treating her exactly like anyone else and giving her love, she had not noticed the color of my skin for several days. Because of this I was set once again on a mission to discover what causes humans to alienate from one group or another and to limit their experiences by doing so.

I have come to several conclusions on this subject. First, I think humans mistake "race" for "decency" or "trash". Second, I have found through years of sending children to school and watching the efforts of our government to "combat" issues of race - racism is caused not by actual hatred for another, but is caused by those in control or power implementing actions of injustice to one "group" while trying to find justice for another.

"All men are created Equal" has been translated to "some men need to be given more". When any individual or group of individuals, are given special treatment over others, it breeds anger and resentment. Anger and resentment and injustice translate to hatred. If you set two men/women of different races and backgrounds in a room alone for hours, eventually they will find some common ground as humans. But to attempt to correct "wrongs" of the past by then being unjust to others, you simply create more of the same. As I always say, we can not change what has been, we can only change what will be.

The area where I live has been completely inundated with citizens of Mexico. The dominant race now in our schools is Latino. And yes, hatred is growing. But, it is not growing because of their color. It is growing because of injustice. I have friends from Mexico who also feel it towards their own people. Why?

If you work for everything you have, every bite of food, every stitch of clothing...it is very hard to see your government hand everything to others for free. To see these other people's children go to the doctor and the dentist for free. To stand in line at the store and watch as they buy everything you can not afford and then pay for it with a card given to them by your government. And then to watch them leave the store and climb into brand new Hummers or Mercedes as they do here is almost more than any human can deal with. To be told your child's school can not afford to give your child a book, yet they have just purchased brand new computers and programs for the ESL class...anger at the injustice starts to build. Where do you direct it? What form does it take? Soon, you find yourself condemning the people as you have no where else to immediately direct these feelings. If you work at a job and you give a fair days work, yet you know someone who does not but the company will not fire them because of the color of their skin, you become angry. You are not angry at the color of the person, you are angry at the injustice.

It is the same as instigating hatred between the "haves" and the "have-nots". Someone will always have more than you, someone will always have less. But, when a group of people scream for equality, yet actually mean special treatment, you will stir up feelings of hatred and resentment. If you want to be equal, then do so. Create the life you want for yourself but do not expect it to be given to you. You earn respect not only from others but from yourself. I had a fabulous (black )neighbor, who lived in an area 99.99 percent white or Hispanic who told me once "I have never been treated as other than the man I portray myself to be. If I act like less of a man using my color as an excuse, then I will be less of a man." He could be an inspiration for all.

I do know we will never get beyond the issue of "race" until we understand exactly what he was saying and until we understand to let the past go and only move forward. We will never get past this issue if we do not understand that two wrongs do not make a right...just as my mother always told me. What you plant - you sow. If you plant seeds of hatred, then you will sow generations of injustice. I say this to people of all colors, all nationalities, all walks of life. We think we have come so far because Obama has been elected President. Yet everything you read still emphasizes he is a "black" man who has become the first "black" president. No...he is ....just a man....who has become President. When we can say that....then we have truly moved forward.