Indifference
“I am a Jew. Hath not a Jew eyes? Hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions; fed with the same food, hurt with the same weapons, subject to the same diseases, healed by the same means, warmed and cooled by the same winter and summer as a Christian is? If you prick us do we not bleed? If you tickle us do we not laugh? If you poison us do we not die? And if you wrong us shall we not revenge? If we are like you in the rest, we will resemble you in that. If a Jew wrong a Christian, what is his humility? Revenge. If a Christian wrong a Jew, what should his sufferance be by Christian example? Why, revenge. The villainy you teach me I will execute, and it shall go hard but I will better the instruction.”
While everyone’s life still hangs in limbo, I continue to analyze every human contact I’ve ever had. Being deprived of human interaction, has put me in a state of mind in which I relive past interactions. I’ve mention to you before that I don’t mind confrontation and I don’t mind arguing, I don’t mind talking and arguing with someone who has different beliefs than I do. And now I wonder, for people who make a life out of hating others, for people who consider some humans less than, don’t you now wish that you considered them human. Because, now that our human interactions are limited, your odds of interacting with someone that you absolutely agree with is low. So don’t you wish you saw all humans the same? Why does difference scare us so much? Difference of opinion, political views, religious views, sexual orientation, gender, race... Why is it that a straight man would hate a gay man, so much, to the point of violence or protest? He’s not contagious or causing you physical harm, so why is it that you would go as far as to make him feel so wrong? Why does a man have a say on a women’s uterus, can you relate to what she’s going through? Why is it that any human is upset if someone identifies as transgender? Can you relate? Do you know what it’s like to feel wrong? Why is it that a black person is made to feel unsafe in our streets? Why are Muslim women nervous about wearing their hijabs in public? Are you scared to walk around white or in jeans? Do your Converse or your skin color make you a target for stares every time you walk down the street? Does your choice in clothing make you a social target? For those of you who are of any kind of religion, doesn’t your religion preach acceptance, peace and love above all? Why is it that some of us aren’t able to apply that peace, love and acceptance when we come across something we don’t understand? We can all relate to each other; after all we all call the same place home, we are all breathing, living, blood pumping organisms created by whatever or whomever you believe in. Love is contagious, but so is hate. Get comfortable with being uncomfortable. You disagree with me, he lays with a man, they have male parts, she made that choice, he’s black, he wears a turban, she wears a hijab, he loves her and we ALL bleed red. No?