O ye men of wisdom among nations! Shut your eyes to estrangement, then fix your gaze upon unity. Cleave tenaciously unto that which will lead to the well-being and tranquillity of all mankind. This span of earth is but one homeland and one habitation. It behoveth you to abandon vainglory which causeth alienation and to set your hearts on whatever will ensure harmony. In the estimation of the people of Baha man's glory lieth in his knowledge, his upright conduct, his praiseworthy character, his wisdom, and not in his nationality or rank. O people of the earth! Appreciate the value of this heavenly word. Indeed it may be likened unto a ship for the ocean of knowledge and a shining luminary for the realm of perception. (Bahai Faith)
A Winnipeg teenager has made the headline news in Winnipeg as a racist for attacking a Jewish girl just because she is Jewish. Apparently, he allegedly set her hair on fire while uttering anti-Semitic remarks.
Where do our children develop this prejudice and hatred towards other groups? Where do they learn these negative values. It is truly disturbing to see that children are practising this despicable violence against other children just because of their race or religion. Should schools do more? Should parents do more to help their children accept difference.
Canada is a multicultural pluralistic society and that's a fact. A child who cannot accept difference is in real trouble. His or her life will be miserable because there is difference every where you turn in this city of Winnipeg. Thank goodness for that.
Yesterday, we remembered the 14 women who were murdered in the Montreal Massacre just because they were women and studying engineering, the last bastion of male dominance in terms of career opportunities. Marc Lepine was so incensed by these women's guts to dare to enter a male domain that he saw them as a threat to his own opportunities and he chose the cowardly way out by killing them and killing himself.
I say this because as Winnipeg or Canada becomes more diverse and people take their rightful places in society, this might not sit well with those who are xenophobic or are so riddled with the meme of prejudice and hatred that they can see no way to go but downhill.
I think this is an opportune time for Winnipeg to do more to encourage oneness, unity, acceptance and tolerance of people because we are all one, all members of the tree called humanity.
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