RISE ABOVE HATE

As I type this post my mind is constantly drawn to Macklemore and Ryan Leslie’s song “Same Love” in which they feature the superbly talented Ms Mary Lambert. Its lyrics echo through my mind like loud whiles of prisoners locked in some confinement that is fortified against them, prisoners who are tired of being held captive by society’s stereotypes and disapprovals. Their song did not only inspire me to write this piece but it also triggered a lot of questions within me, questions that many of us have never bothered to ask ourselves.

Growing up in a conservative community one is bound by the expectations that our families and the society at large has of us, the paths that we choose to take in life have to conform to these expectations. This means that a large part our lives and how we live it is not always how we desire to enjoy our precious time on Earth. It’s as if we are sealed in boxes marked with large bold letters spelling out the word “EXPECTATIONS” and thus enslaved by what has been implanted in our minds but which is contrary to the burning desires within our hearts. If one dares to go against these expectations, which have graduated to being the acceptable and recognised norms, then one is hastily ridiculed and branded as a menace and outcast within society.

Those that ridicule them falsely claim to be ‘protecting’ their society’s morals and standard way of life and guarding themselves from disruptive behaviour which in their minds seeks to undermine the core foundation upon which these morals rest. The sad thing about them is that their hearts are fertile grounds for breeding hate and every step that they take to hack to death these presumed ‘contagious’ behavioural dynamics portrayed by these ‘menaces’ they sow the seeds of hate within that fertile ground.

Some of these people are the very ones who use unconsented sex, labeling it as ‘corrective sex’, and deploying it as a means of ‘setting straight’ those that have ‘lost’ their way in this world when in fact what they are committing is rape. I ask myself who’s world is this exactly? Has God granted us the right to cast stones upon those who have sinned? And are we all not sinners? Who amongst us is righteous than the other? These are all questions that we ought to be asking ourselves.

Human beings have subjected themselves to unspeakable atrocities, atrocities which are all abundantly fueled by hate. Some of these atrocities are bitter reminders of just how humans can be numb to love, their hearts and minds evidently transformed into resourceful warehouses of evil. Of all these atrocities The Holocaust is perhaps the most damning example of just how intolerance can breed into a poisonous form of hatred that can reach devastating proportions. History is a constant reminder of how hate is the most dangerous thing to breed within people’s hearts. Here in Namibia we have that history, the extermination order that was granted by the German imperialist government which prompted the genocide against the Namas and the Hereros is a traumatizing part of our history that haunts us to this very day.

Racism has also left an ugly scar on this nation and many other societies, a scar that I would hope to believe remains to be just that. But as much as I am an optimist I am aware that a realistic stand point reveals that what I hold might be all just false hope, racism is still silently prevalent within the dark corners of our societies and many people still harbour racial hatred towards each other. Racism is not just the only offspring of hatred that’s sowing division amongst people its tribalism, xenophobia and homophobia as well. People don’t want to accept others for who they are and would rather rebuke others way of life at first glance than seek to understand them. Sadly these are the very same people who claim to be devoted men or women of their religions, some of whom preach the message of love and peace to others but do the contrary themselves. This contradiction and deception is all part of the intricate dynamics of human behaviour.

I constantly ask myself why we chose to hate and not to love, is it more desirable or satisfying to be agents of hate than to be agents of love and hope? Are we really that much of haters to be prying on people who are different to us? Is tolerance now a dormant term within our vocabulary? Are we too dumb to realise that holocausts begin with one seed of hate that is planted in one heart and is subsequently planted in the hearts of many? We should realise that hate is the source of all evil and choosing to be agents of hate and to make others victims of this self-sustained hate casts doom upon our fates. Is it really right to enjoy seeing one human suffer at the hands of others? I believe not and I believe that Macklemore and Ryan Leslie are not only advocating for homosexuals rights but are choosing to fight hate with the most superior lethal weapon against it, and that is love.

This reminds me of the movie “The Freedom Writers” starring Hilary Swank which was released in 2007. It’s an inspiring movie on how we can choose to be engrossed in savagery towards each other and live in animosity or how we can choose to be one unit, the human race unit, and work together. This movie is one of the many reasons why I believe that art can be utilised as an effective mechanism to spread change within our communities. We each have a role to play if we want to make a difference in our communities and be vigilant agents of change with love as our reliable and trustworthy guide.

A scene from the movie 'That's What I Am"

Another noteworthy movie is: “That’s What I am” which was released in 2011 and stares Ed Harris. Within one of its scenes is a part where Ed Harris, who plays the role of a passionate primary school teacher, writes down an important equation to world peace that is: “Human Dignity + Compassion = PEACE”. I’ll forever keep this equation in my heart.

I find it utterly despicable that some people primarily view the world through two colours, black and white. This classification is the very reason why people of different races have been fighting each other because to them if you’re not ‘one of them’ then you’re inferior or an outcast, an outsider who should be treated with as much hate and resentment as possible. It is this evil that corrupts the virgin minds of the young. Let’s remember that eventually we will all cease to exist and our presence will remain to be nothing but a memory that creeps up into people’s minds and evokes emotions in their hearts. What will they think of us? Will we leave a distinct mark upon this world that future generations will look at and say: “She (he) did her part to better the world,”? Where we just merely spectators to the evils within our communities or did we take action and openly rebuke them?

Hate is a terrible thing. I fear hating someone because when one harbours despise towards something or someone their likely to try and engineer plots that will rid them of the people or things that they hate. I prefer to forgive those that have wronged against me and let God, or the law, judge them for their deeds. The only thing that I hate in this life is hate itself, if hate were human it would be an old and bitter person who jealously goes about destroying relationships between fellow mankind. Such is the nature of hate, it is compounded by all the bad words in the dictionary.

The only medicine to cure us from such hate is love. The love for ones self should equal the love for others. The bible states that: “Thy shall love thy neighbour as thyself,” it does not state whether this neighbour should be of the same race, tribe, nationality, sex, creed, wealth or age because the bible doesn’t encourage discrimination or hate. Those that are not of any religious affiliation should know that we are guided by our inner conscience which draws the line between love and hate and right and wrong, so you’re not left out. Furthermore the ethos of national reconciliation should be respected and abided to by ALL of us.

But it is important to note that the love for others is spurred on by self-love. Ones you love yourself enough to know that you’re human just as everyone else then you are most likely to love others in the same way. Michael Jackson’s song “Man in the Mirror” has a strong message on how change starts with ‘the man (or woman) in the mirror’ equally so Lucky Dube’s “One People, Different Colours” further goes on to encourage us, the man or woman in the mirror, to embrace diversity and live in peace and tolerance with one another as brothers and sisters. If they were spreading love what are you spreading?

And though I am fully aware of the history of this nation of brave men and women I am also aware that we should guard ourselves from blaming everything on the past. The past is not there to dwell upon in hopelessness or in bitter comfort, it is there to serve as our reference point and guide so that we can learn something from it and better ourselves. That is why I believe that the only effective way to rise above hate is if we seek to understand the past and ourselves and learn something positive from it. History is beneficial to us in this way and we should never forget it and we should never seek to erase it either. So teach your children about the past but also teach them that it does not solely define the present or the future. Let’s be better than those that are racist, homophobic or are spreading tribalism and show them that good (love) always overcomes evil (hate). Afterall, we all are just human.

“United we stand, divided we fall.”

“One people, one nation,”

“LOVE, PEACE AND TOLERANCE”

“…and don’t you ever forget where you come from son, if you’re my son [then] you’re from the place that I’m from, son.” – Mark Question, in ‘Visions’