What happens when oppressors set the conversation rules between their victims?
We see the sad spectacle of persecuted groups treating each other with elements of language acquired from their oppressors vocabulary.
We see Black Hebrew Israelites using anti-African rhetoric text books about Blacks.
We see Moslem radical groups being created, which copy their stereotyp language about Jews or other minorities, almost to the word.
We see racial stereotypes
How do we get over the need of blaming each other, of falling into the trap of claiming “most persecuted group” status, and of turning suffering into an excuse for indifference toward other people similar misfortunes?
Spirituality needs to be part of the healing process.
It is not surprising that the great moral luminaries who fought against racial oppression were also spiritual leaders.
They understood that in order to transcend the inherent divisive wounds left by the trauma of persecution, the divisive nature of political language cannot be a remedy.
They understood this:
G-d unites the people, Satan divides them.
Uniting the people does not mean unite them against other people. It means unite them around their common humanity, found in all people.
Diversity of opinion is already found in families, it is not an excuse for hate, or oppression.
Diversity of opinion held with respect is the sign of healthy societies.
G-d created, creates, and shall always create a multi-colored world, with many different languages and different notions about Himself.
But Satan fools the people, by telling them there are enemies everywhere.
The spiritual path shows us that even the oppressors are humans in need of healing.
The oppressors of today are trapped in the hands of hate. But that hate can backlash very quickly when the political winds turn on them. There is no refuge for anyone in the discourse of racial discrimination.
No man shall wage war against one another when respect for diversity means honoring creation, and peace shall not just be a distant wish but a feeling from within, synonymous with Love for the Creator.