My farmer has been talking a lot lately about racism in America. It seems to me that this is a very confusing
topic… a topic that is mostly centered on the issue of justifying one’s hate
and fear. From my view, it is a bigger
problem than anyone will admit and it is the basic cause of all human strife and
war.
I understand that groups of people can look different than other groups
of people. A person’s color of skin,
hair, and eyes seem to be the main distinctions that I have noticed. What I don’t
understand is why these colors are a cause of hatred? In my chicken yard I have
20 hens with about 15 different colors of plumage. I think they are all
beautiful. Many of my girls are considered to be different breeds of chickens. As
a result there are, at least in coloration, size, and shape of their combs, small
genetic differences, but they are still chickens! The hens all still lay eggs (albeit different
is size and color), scratch in the yard, and compete over food. They are different in small ways but they are
the same in so many more.
There is also the issue of ethnic or cultural differences in humans
that can cause misunderstanding, fear and hatred. We have chickens in my yard that come from
different parts of the world. Some breeds
grew up in deserts, others in mountains.
When they first arrived in my yard, they sounded a bit odd but I learned
to understand what they were saying and again, these differences are very small
compared to the things we have in common.
I am not trying to say that humans are just like chickens, Heavens no!
I recognize that your cultural backgrounds are very important to you. With this
importance firmly in place you often seek to live with others who share the
same language, religion and cultural experiences. However, it seems to be from my perch that
these self-imposed groupings are the source of racism and hatred in your
countries. Since you are separated you
do not understand each other. There are
language barriers, religious practices and foods that can cause misunderstandings
and differences of opinion. You do not
know what to make of the weird dress or confusing language and strange habits
that are different from your own. As a
result you tend to avoid each other, or even fear each other. These differences become the only thing you
see, refusing to recognize that for every one thing you find different there
are thousands of other things that you share in common.
The human traits of racism, bigotry, prejudice, intolerance, sexism and
self-righteousness seem to be borne into your DNA code. You all are capable of acting
out these traits. It is a sad commentary
based on how wonderful you can be when you demonstrate love, generosity,
togetherness, intimacy, sharing, understanding, and community. If you could only get over yourselves the world
would be a much better place to live for us all.
Unfortunately, I do not have a suggestion for you as to how you can eliminate
racism and bigotry. The efforts of eliminating
or eradicating alone are acts of intolerance and self-righteousness. Praying
to your gods is divisive. Failing to learn other languages and cultures is
isolationism. Placing blame or making
generalities causes separation and misunderstanding. You are a wonderful species but if you can’t
learn to get along, the whole world will suffer. If nothing else, please consider the impact
you are having on us chickens. We just
want to get by each day with full crops and a safe place to sleep. It is difficult to sleep when I have to worry
about what you are going to do next.
Please, learn to accept one another for who they are. We would all sleep better if you did. - Peace be with you, Ollie
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