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Veni, vidi, vici. We came, we saw, we conquered.
I first heard that in 10th grade Latin class. I never thought about it back then. Today, it explains a lot. Colonialism (the policy or practice of acquiring full or partial political control over another country, occupying it with settlers, and exploiting it economically) was about conquering not about learning or sharing.
Different, in reference to the conquered, meant lesser. “I defeat you, therefore I am better than you. Since I am better than you, your ways have nothing to offer me that I need or want.”
Different is not a value judgement
Different, in fact, does not imply better or worse. While one culture can overpower another, it doesn’t follow that it’s better or worse – only that it has (acquired, made, stolen, used) more powerful weapons. This fallacy has infected societies throughout the world and dulled our sense of humaneness and humanness.
Learning vs obliterating
If the white settlers who came to America had taken the time to learn from the Native Americans, they would have received many gifts. These would include a profound respect for the land, water, animals, elders, and multiple genders. Adopting these ideas would have preserved the earth’s resources. I’m not saying there wouldn’t have been territorial disputes, fighting or wars. However, we would have managed our resources far better, fought harder to maintain a balance between what we need and what we want, and learned to respect another culture.
Equality
More important to this conversation, different would have come to mean not the same but equal. The word “race” would never have been coined. There wouldn’t be the need to endlessly explain we humans are all the same. It doesn’t matter what we look like, what language we speak, what culture we embrace, or what religion we practice. We have the same capacity to think, feel, create, and love.
Language of Music
Here are epic joyful musical examples from “The Voice International.” Check this out: The Voice International Blind Auditions and The Best of The Voice Kids Blind Auditions. Sit back and watch.
With each contestant, you’ll find that it doesn’t matter what country, what language, what color, or what anything because people are people. The families, the performers, and the judges react all the same–with passion, joy, excitement, hope, amazement, and discovery.
End the myths that feed power and privilege
Patriarchy and white privilege believe that somehow white men have something special that sets them above everyone else, entitles them to behave in ways that are both oppressive and offensive — without consequences. This myth is perpetuated through societal systems including justice, employment, human services, education and government. It has split this country into factions that fight each other and distract us from the common good.
Use our time and energy wisely
In other words, we are manipulated into using our energy on side issues to leave the “big issues” to the kleptocracy who care only for their profits and investors. This leaves the workers and the rest of society without government support for quality of life issues. Add to that the current isolationist decisions that mean many are being robbed of out-of-country markets and in-country tourism dollars.
The new paradigm
In order for this country to establish a new paradigm — a working collaboration between democracy, egalitarianism, and business — we rise against the myths and acknowledge we are all human. Period. It is only in our unity that we can achieve change and equality, move from competition to collaboration, and establish a government for and by the people.
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Photo credit: Getty Images