There’s a trend I’ve noticed going around various countries in the political arena which seeps its way down into the consciousness of the people governed that I find disturbing. It reminds me of the slogan from the 1960s America during the Vietnam War protests and Civil Rights marches that went: “America: Love It or Leave It”. Now it is used in different countries with perhaps different wording but it is essentially if you are not with us, then you are with them and we not only don’t want you but you are the enemy just like them. Them, of course, being anyone not supporting a candidate, a political party, an ideology, a religion, a racial group, an ethnicity, whatever. It is a form of tribal mentality that really runs counter to the principles of any religion that I am familiar with: that being one that is inclusive not exclusive. To embrace the other because there is no other, just another version of ourselves.
But these so-called leaders are purposely dividing people into camps because a divided people are easier to control, and these leaders are, let us not deceive ourselves, only thinking of control which obviously increases their power to influence those they control. Whether it’s a political candidate, a leader of a country or state, a religious leader, a rebel group, a union boss, or some opinionated person at a social gathering or on social media, this type of labeling only leads to further alienation of the world’s populace and increases the level of hatred and acts of violence directed towards each other. This is history repeating itself time and time again. We do not have to look very far in the past to see examples of where this name calling and labeling leads us. It’s what gave us all forms of racial, religious, gender, sexual, etc. discrimination in the past and in the present. And it leads to war, which profits no one unless you are a CEO of a major corporation that traffics in the tools or materials of warfare.
I am not so optimistic as to think change can happen overnight or in every country because there are countries on this planet that are ruled by governments that arrest and imprison people who think differently, are different, and oppose those in power even with words. These governments will not change unless the people who are governed change them. But not every country is a candidate for change, where the culture of a people leads the majority to submission to a powerful leader or party, but if pressure of the world community is put to bear on those regimes it is possible that over time change will occur. After all, if minds are open, anything is possible anywhere. And, of course, the best way to influence change in other people, as well as in other countries, is by example, not warfare or sanctions or bullying. Be what you preach and others will be influenced by that behavior.
I am not a religious person in the sense that I do not prescribe to a particular religion because religions separate us, too. Recently I was having a conversation with a young woman I respect whose thinking has always impressed me and she said that after reading the Qur’an for the third time in Arabic she found that the word Islam did not appear once, that there was no mention, in other words, of a separate religion but just a belief in the one God others believed in, too. That it was the words of another prophet who followed other prophets trying to direct people in a similar direction of faith as the prophets before him. What she said was so in line with what I have always believed and which I hear others agree with, too. For those of us who believe in God actually believe in the same God and that God would not condone those who try to pervert the words in any of the holy texts people believe in. They all basically say the same thing and that is what should unite us, not keep us apart. And leaders who try to pit us against each other are not on the side of any God I know of.
I wrote not too long ago that I was ashamed of the way America was reacting to the Syrian refugee crisis. Well let me rephrase that to say I am ashamed of the way some Americans are reacting to the Syrian refugee crisis just as I am ashamed of some Americans who are using hateful language to divide people by color, ethnicity, religion, race, gender, sexual persuasion. That is NOT the principles America, the America I call my country, was founded on. And any person desiring to lead America should remember that, just as people should remember that as they go to the polls and reject anyone who forgets that the immigrants who came to those shores for the last 400 odd years came to escape that very same kind of thinking, that no one group of people are more important than any other group, that everyone is equal not just in the eyes of the law but in the eyes of God. And for those who do not believe in God, well they should remember that their right not to believe is guaranteed by law and thus should hold that law sacred.
Not to belabor my point any further, I will end by saying language has power and when any leader or government or religious group uses that language to separate us, then we must hold them accountable for the chaos and violence they unleash. There is no US and THEM. Just US. A people ranged all over the world in a variety of colors, shapes, and thinking, but united in our humanity and need to live in peace.
Leonard Durso 
Well said!
Thank you, John. I appreciate that.
Very well stated. May I reblog?
Thank you. And yes, you may.
Len, this expresses what so many of us are thinking and feeling. Thank you for nailing it up in that bright place.
Thanks, Jim. Your comment is much appreciated.
I shared it on both Facebook and Twitter.
Thanks, Jim.
Leonard – Thank you for this beautifully-written piece. I could not have said it better.
Thank you, Melinda, for this much appreciated comment.
Totally agree with you! Thank you for writing this!
I’m glad we agree.
Great commentary on our times . . .
Thank you, Peter.
Here, here! Hear, hear!
Thank you, John.
we’re all the same inside.
Yes we are.
You are so right, Leonard.
Leslie
Leonard, this is extremely well written, and it is articles like this that tell me all is not lost. There are people that care about others and share their humanity every day. How we see others is so extremely important. I love the compassion here. Peace.
Thank you very much for this very kind comment.
You’re welcome.
I share your thoughts and they need to be said over and over again. I hope sanity prevails, Leonard. What’s happening now is a strange collective self-destructive hell-bent madness.
And let us hope that this too will pass.
Yes, ‘divide and rule’ really works and people are easy to manipulate when they are fearful and greedy.
That is unfortunately true.
I have noticed that when one doesn’t have anything intelligent to say they revert to name calling and creating division among people. It’s as if, having nothing to say, they garner followers by appealing to their hatred or feelings of superiority/ego. Issues turn into childish taunts and diversions that cover the fact that nothing is actually being said. I think that’s where we are now. Politicians fight each other and distract the masses from seeing that they know nothing about the real issues. Religion is one of the most divisive and violent things on earth and should be kept out of politics completely. That’s what our country is based on…the separation between church and state. Our country has become a joke. Historically, all great countries fail. That’s what’s happening to America. It’s happening right now. Our morals, compassion, belief in justice and a civilized society have collapsed under the weight of the internet and selfless. People are unable to look away from their own faces. We are lost and the bad guys just promise more of the same.
It’s not just in the US but other countries as well. Look at what’s happening now in Germany, not to mention here in Turkey, and other places in the EU, too. Sad indeed.
So very true.
Reblogged this on Espirational: A 10 Minute Vacation for the Soul and commented:
Excellent blog post from Leonard Durso.
Thank you for reblogging this.
…and what does the Lord require of thee, but to do justice, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God… Micah, Holy Bible
Amen.
“And leaders who try to pit us against each other are not on the side of any God I know of.” Yes!
I’m glad you agree, Claire.
Well written, interesting post!
Thank you.
Welcome!
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I attempted to read this post 3 times this week but something always interrupted. I’m glad I finally got back to it. Well said.
It’s so outrageous how each religion claims to be the one ‘true religion’ all while having all these made rules that are no where in the Bible, which one is expected to follow or one cannot be considered a ‘member’.
The Bible speaks of no religion, just on a belief in God and accepting His son, Jesus Christ, as our savior. Glad others are recognizing this too.
I’m glad you liked his piece. I, obviously, quite agree with you.
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Beautifully written as usual. stay safe.
Thank you.