An old soda pop commercial from the 1970s talked about teaching the world to sing in perfect harmony and yet today it’s hard to imagine a time of more unrest.
Seemingly irreconcilable differences bring anger and hate to the forefront, and innocent people are losing their lives because some individuals and groups feel as though their beliefs are superior.
It doesn't take much to spark controversy as tempers flare. Frustrated people are yelling — with their voices and their actions, and it’s getting harder to listen because the clamor is so deafening.
We can’t hear the music over the instruments.
And racial harmony? It’s taken a back seat to assumptions, jealousy and judgment.
Anyone can make an assumption just by taking an opinion for granted. Unless you are willing to question what you see and what you hear, you allow assumptions to take over.
When people make assumptions about others based on skin color, and no one denies the assumption and asks for proof otherwise, the assumption grows. It grows again each time it’s allowed to prosper, until finally, many others consider the assumption to be true.
Jealousy can do much to spark tension not only between two individuals but also between races. Even the perception that one group receives benefits based on skin color can fracture the most harmonious relationships.
All action comes from emotion. Rather than allow jealousy to take over, you can use this emotion as the catalyst to make things better, not just for one group, but for all people.
It’s easy to judge other people, especially if you don’t know them. Judgment is a final verdict, meaning that you have sentenced the other person to a box of confinement. The box, although imaginary, is not unlike a jail cell that destroys a persons chances of thriving.
Assumption, jealousy and judgment have their roots in poverty. Nearly 50% of the world are living in poverty and starving not just for food, but also for acceptance of who they are and where they come from.
One way to increase racial harmony is to eliminate or drastically reduce poverty. Some people may tell you that the way to eliminate poverty is to take from wealthier people and nations and give the excess to poorer ones, but that’s not true.
The real way to achieve racial harmony is through education. Education is the one equalizer around the world. Arm yourself with knowledge, and you have the power you need to create the life you want and deserve without minimizing anyone else’s life to make yours better.
Educating yourself includes getting to know people from other races. In doing so, you may find that you are more the same than you are different. You are both playing in the same orchestra, just with different instruments.
Our Earth is full of rich diversity, and people of all nations and colors have songs to sing if you are willing to listen to them. If you listen carefully, you can hear the harmony.