Two competing evils threaten the fabric of society around the world. Those two evils, fanaticism and materialism are warring with the interests of all humanity. Who is to say which is more evil? Perhaps neither, but the reality of the pernicious effects of both are evident in our daily lives. On the one hand, we are threatened by the terrorism of fanatics who seek to draw attention to themselves by mass murder, calls for a religious state, televised executions, armed standoffs against legal authorities. Calls for religious tolerance are ignored, best, and denounced from the pulpits and the streets. On the other hand, forces of materialism tell us every day that our worth is measured in the things we own, the work we do and in the value of class. In this material world, those who chose to not participate in the struggle for material wealth are decried and cast off. Terms like “White Trash,” “redneck,” “shiftless” “lazy” are all used to belittle those who are not caught up in the eternal chase for wealth and possessions.
Human history is filled with the workings of these two forces. Let us not forget the conquest of Mexico and South America where conquistadors and priests worked together to materially exploit the indigenous populations and, at the same time, bring salvation to the “heathen savages.” Incredible wealth flowed to Europe and the Church gained converts by force. Indeed, the exploration and colonization of the American continent by Europeans was driven by forces of materialism and fanaticism. Similar forces, cravings for material wealth and for religious fervor have worked around the world in wars and crusades.
It is time for a radical change in the thinking and behavior. Science has proven that all people are the same, that they have variations in history and culture. those variations cannot be judged by standards of another culture. Racism, culturalism, nationalism and any number of other “isms” serve only to divide us and to provide opportunities for the forces of materialism and fanaticism to gain in strength.
Ignorance and prejudice abound in the worlds of fanaticism and materialism. Whole peoples are condemned to exploitation because of the lack of the recognition of them as fellow humans worthy of respect and dignity. It is human to succumb to the notion of inferiority when they are treated as less than deserving of the benefits of society. Denial of income sufficient for a family, denial of education for lack of funds, and most importantly, vilifying the poor, the displaced, the homeless, the children of poverty, only reinforce the ideas that drive these two forces.
A huge example of this is in the experience of native Americans. Before the coming of the Europeans, there were millions of happy native Americans living and thriving across the continent. Very early Spanish explorers wrote about their experiences while going up the Mississippi river. The wrote about hundreds of villages and a commerce of trade. Yet, only a few years later, those villages had disappeared. Europeans brought European diseases. The colony of Plymouth, founded by the Pilgrims, was founded on the site of an abandoned native village. Today, native populations are scattered around the country, trying desperately to hold on to their native identities, while the surrounding culture allows the extreme poverty and wasted lives to continue. Attitudes that characterized the 19th and early 20th centuries about superiority of the white “race” still continue to govern our political will and policy to suppress these peoples.
What is the solution? We must learn to temper these evil forces, recognize them as evil and try to educate ourselves and each other on reality. In religion, we must recognize that there is value in all religions, regardless of their place of origin. And we must bring spiritual values into the economic system. This can be done with effort and the will to change.
For an excellent statement on the state of race relations read this:
bahai-library.com/nsa_race_unity