Or how I stopped hating what I didn't know
I was watching a great Japanese animated movie called Steamboy the other day and one of the main characters comes out with the following line, “Ignorance and self-interest breed enemies in our own minds.” I clapped and cheered this when I heard this. I think it sums up prettt much how a lot of people are thinking these days, unfortunately.
Enemies, for the want of a better word, used to be invaders gathering at castle gates, Mongol hoards gathering on the southern border or those who still thought it was okay to make slaves out of each other. These were clear cut, easy to identify, make-no-mistakes-with-these-guys enemies. These days, use of the word enemies seems to have been replaced by the nebulous usage of terrorist. This could mean anybody from a suicidal bomber intent on creating as much random havoc, death and destruction as possible to the poor chap arrested recently for singing the lyrics to The Clash song, ‘London Calling’ (see the following story at http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/antiterrorism-squad-nab-man-singing-clash/2006/04/06/1143916622020.html )
Who is to say that I won’t be subjected to similar investigations because of my listening or reading habits? I’ve just finished reading ‘V For Vendetta’ for the fourth time and of late, I’ve been listening to a lot of punk and hip hop music. Does this mean I too could be arrested for subversiveness? I’m also a big fan of John Lennon, JD Salinger, Jack Kerouac, The Clash, Bob Marley and George Orwell and have been for years. Does this make me a seditious character? Heck, even some of the things I write about here could put a spotlight on me. So, could I be a terrorist and not even know it? If this sounds a ridiculous well then it is.
I believe the idea of enemies exists because of a need for some of us to be able to rail against others, mainly to take the focus away from our own personal inadequacies. Be it religious, political, gendered or cultural, some of us just can’t operate without having something or somebody to operate against. I believe this is ignorance in its purest form, this hatred for the sake of hating. According to a recent study, people who smile and say ‘have a nice day’ a lot are supposed to die earlier than cranky bastards. The study revealed those who vent their feelings rather than suppress them will live longer, healthier lives. It also means those in industries where false happiness is necessary may be doomed to early deaths (but then this may be penance for making annoying phone calls about cladding while I’m in the middle of my dinner). I’m not opposed to a good rant when needed yet often times, I hear and see examples of this behaviour being overdone to an extreme, with people saying things like "I hate George Bush" or whomever. Sure, I don’t like what the current American and Australian administrations have done, but as I’ve said before, how can I hate someone I don’t even know. To me, it makes no sense.
I don’t imagine our leaders are in any way better or worse than previous generations. Those of you who have read any of my blog in the past know I’m not really a politically motivated person. I am a humanist, in as much as I believe and have faith that human kind does and will continue to strive to better itself through education, science and technology. I can’t say what the world was like during the Vietnam War, for instance, but I am sure there were as many righteous, angry people around then as there are now. These days we’re not so much ‘taking it to the streets’ but taking it to the ether. According to the article at the following address, more people are speaking their minds and more people are reading them. (http://search.smh.com.au/click.ac?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.smh.com.au%2Fnews%2Ftechnology%2Fjoes-blog-has-much-more-influence-than-you-think%2F2006%2F04%2F18%2F1145344085840.html&t=4&n=2&s=blog) I believe that ifone person or a group of people speak from an emotional point of view then they will only get emotional responses. Name-calling doesn’t actually help a cause; it only leads to further emotion-fuelled responses, particularly when it comes to political ‘debates’. The political forum here exhibits some of these characteristics sometimes. Most of those who know me know I’m not much into politics and the reason is because I see a lot of it as piss and wind. In my opinion, both sides of the political fence are as guilty of it as each other.
In an ideal world, and yes, I’m an idealist in some respects; a forum would see healthy discussion, reasonable exchanges of ideas without resorting to insecure name-calling. Agreements to disagree would be standard. Ideas would be exchanged, and everyone would walk away with a healthy respect for each other’s opinions. Of course, the reality is quite different and not at all in keeping with my vision. I guess I must have watched too much Star Trek as a kid and think that we can all move forward to a world where while we might not all agree with each other, at least we get along. A dream, maybe, but hopefully one that will come true one day.