Closing Pandora's Box

…Continued (Click here to read part 1 & here to read part 2)

One reason I very much liked the film American History X was due to the message it portrayed about hate and how one man (Derek) who was saturated with it turned his life around. This change was the culmination of a chain of events, each making him question his hate and anger. I found the following quote very powerful and it is something we should take some time to contemplate on:

There was a moment, when I used to blame everything and everyone for all the pain and suffering and vile things that happened to me, that I saw happen to my people. Used to blame everybody. Blamed white people, blamed society, blamed God. I didn't get no answers 'cause I was asking the wrong questions. You have to ask the right questions. Has anything you’ve ever done made your life better? – Bob Sweeney (American History X).

A lot of the time we are shackled down by our own negative mentality, blaming others in an excuse to justify things that we don’t want to deal with. If only we asked ourselves the right questions and broke down the barriers of distrust, paranoia and suspicion, life would be so much easier. We’d have more time to enjoy than to pick out the bad points of a person, people, place or even a thing. 

In the previous post, I briefly mentioned how a fear of the unknown can lead to one hating that unknown thing; be it a person, thought, rule, or inanimate object.

The veil is something which causes a lot of angst and fear among people because one cannot tell who it is behind that cloth or why they have chosen to cover themselves up in such a manner. Many people due to their limited knowledge or bad experience have come to associate negative things with the veil and some countries have gone as far as either banning the wearing of the veil or wish to impose a ban. This particular interview was published in The Times 2 supplement found inside The Times (Friday 19^th November 2010). Due to political correctness and or for a fear of offending the veil wearer, many people may refrain from asking questions. This is to help them understand the practicalities of how things are done once the veil is on and lets one learn about why this particular lady has chosen to cover herself up. I think the honesty and humour with which this woman answers the questions should be applauded. There are very few people out there who would be willing to do such a thing, even though it is a way of removing misconceptions.

(Click on the image to download – 7.9mb)

Openness and transparency is an important way to remove the plants of hate growing within our environment whether at home or in the wider community. Educating oneself about others and asking questions is one way we can achieve that.

I’d like to end this by quoting a narration about hate from the end of the film American History X:

So I guess this is where I tell you what I learned - my conclusion, right? Well, my conclusion is: Hate is baggage. Life's too short to be pissed off all the time. It's just not worth it. Derek says it's always good to end a paper with a quote. He says someone else has already said it best. So if you can't top it, steal from them and go out strong. So I picked a guy I thought you'd like. 'We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory will swell when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.'

Where is the love? – Black Eyed Peas

I posted a few lyrics from the song ‘Where is the love’ by Black Eyed Peas at the end of part 1. I wanted to share with you the full music video but due to issues with privacy, I couldn’t embed it here. You can watch the video by clicking on the link above.