Compassion and Intolerance

Created: 12/12/2006 2:56am

Compassion and intolerance do not dwell in the same house. Our leaders preach that they are loving, hold all life as sacred, care about the poor, embody the light of God. Yet, they are bound by a force much more evil and subtle that undermines the good deeds they might attempt.

Religious egocentricism, moral superiority, have been means to suffering for thousands of years. I am heartbroken that a majority of my country has been unable to assimilate the beneficial ideas from all religions, and discard the remaining dogma.

Our plight as humans is the same. We all face death, suffering, alienation from our peers, societal victimization. When our senses are not exposed to the mass of chaos and suffering of people, we lose a precious perspective and motivation. Humans are natually empathetic. They naturally want to relieve suffereing of others when confronted with it.

This innate responsibility to humanity has been squelched by political and religious ideas. It is as if someone has pulled the rug out from under us so swiftly, that we have entirely forgotten it was there. We owe it to humanity to make an effort to help those in need. We do not need government for this task. If the people of this country elevate themselves and their behavior to a more compassionate level, the actions of this government will naturally be frowned upon until it is forced to change. Change will never start by our government.

Thank you Kevin Carter.

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