Monday 12 December 2005

How quickly one's mood changes within a morning.

I'm still excited about going to the U2 concert, but more than that, I'm just sad, angry and terrified as to what has happened over the weekend.

5000 people gone wild, intent only on creating havoc and causing bodily harm to others. 5000 people herded like sheep, adopting a mob mentality and forgetting to actually stop and think and realise what they're actually doing. 5000 people actually proud of themselves for going against another group of people who just so happened to have a different gene pool and skin colour as them.

5000 people that could have been fed by Jesus instead - my heart actually aches for these people who could have otherwise been touched by the love of God.

But I'm focussing on utopia again where the world is filled only with sunshine, rainbows and colourful flowers.

It's not the blood and violence of the photos taken yesterday that were shocking. It's the fact that there were at least twenty smiling faces in the background where one man was being protected by a policman while another man tried to punch him.

These are my fellow humans and I can only hear one question running over and over again through my head - what have we become?

I cannot understand it. I cannot understand how a group of people can harbour so much anger over people of a completely different nationality without even knowing them. I cannot understand why people can bring themselves to hurt someone so badly simply because they happen to look different. And even worse, I cannot understand how an entire political party can in good conscience stir up and encourage anti-multicultural and anti-immigrant sentiments.

What have we become?

It makes me laugh to read how one guy actually said, "I'm not saying all the wogs and the Lebs are that bad, but there's a certain group who harass and cause trouble."

He actually believes this qualifies his actions?

Does this mean the world should descend upon the scoutmaster's association or all 57 year old males simply for what Robert Potter had done?

Why are we so prone to stereotyping? Why are we in such a hurry to lump people into categories, especially when it can be easily done through the colour of their skin? What is it about being of different ethnicities that people just seem to instantly dislike? Why is there so much latent hatred in us?

Why can't we realise that it's the differences in all of us that makes the world so beautiful? Why can't we realise that we have so much to learn from other cultures? Why can't we realise that people are individuals and although their culture may shape them, they are also formed by their own unique personalities?

Why?

Why?

2 comments:

Della said...

It will probably sound snobby or something, but I'm glad to not live around Sydney any more. There definitely are more problems there with ethnic tensions than with any other capital city I've visited in Australia, which sucks.

What happened was disgusting, all of it. Everyone who took part in it is to blame for what happened, and they need to take a good look at themselves, think over what they've said, wake up and snap out of this stupid intolerance that seems to be taking over our country.

Sometimes it almost seems like racism is excused, allowed, tolerated. That's something to do with the way the media often portrays immigrants. It's to do with some of the laws that are introduced that people don't understand. It's got something to do with the way that shock jock radio guys rave on about ethnic minorities, how public figures treat others. It's about mindless idiots who haven't stopped to think that they're just as disgusting as anyone else who preaches hate or intolerance.

*sigh*

Hopefully the people involved in organising the Cronulla riots will be prosecuted. Mob and gang violence, regardless of the ethnicity, economic status or anything like that of the perpetrators, has to stop.

kenneth birch said...

I concur, Faith. Looking forward to Heaven all too often is put in the background, only to be pulled back again when it's the only option left.

Neither peace on Earth or good will to Men is something we can accomplish on our own.

Fortunately, victory is won--our job now is to pledge allegiance and hold high the banner of Christ. That's our only hope. But also a sure hope.

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