The Homosexual Holocaust Memorial was just inside the park across the street from the Jewish Memorial in Berlin. It didn't list names or death dates, it had no photos of those persecuted or what they went through. No. Instead it was a message of tolerance and hope.
A stone block stood with glass screen and, inside, a monitor playing a silent video on repeat. Two young men kissing in a bar. The two blurred figures in the foreground watching come into focus. Two old men who turn to each other, smile, and kiss. Cut to a scene of two middle aged women kissing on a sidewalk, they part to look at each other and exchange muted words and you can see behind them a young boy staring wide-eyed. They look at him, then each other, and smile and shrug. Cut to two young girls kissing passionately on an empty subway train. They stop suddenly when the doors open and watch cautiously for who will enter. When they see it is an old woman- not likely to cause a fuss- they laugh and go back to kissing. Cut to two boys in a high school corridor stairway kissing passionately, a bit afraid, stopping to check that no one can see- finally parting and rushing up the stairs to class. Cut back to the two young men in the bar.
A simple video speaking so much more than words could. Telling of the struggle for acceptance and fear of persecution people still face today, to commemorate their terrible fate seventy years ago and to provide a lesson of tolerance to the future. It will catch on- it's only a matter of time. Discrimination just makes no sense to me... I'd like to think that in today's society with so much potential to be progressive, things will work themselves out. In fact, it's hard for me to understand that we are still dealing with a stupid thing like this... really- it's stupid. Judging people based on their race? Or their religion? Or their sexuality? Really?! In 2012, the world of instantaneous access to the education and information of the world and we are still dealing with this... it's asinine.
I try to keep great hope for the future, but in the face of a terrifyingly horrific past, it's hard.
I meditated on the thought of acceptance and tolerance as I walked slowly away from the monument. I would like to be a model of tolerance- I catch my every judgement and reprimand myself and rationalize the diversity in the world. I am in no way claiming that I don't judge people. I most certainly do. Everyone does. I think it's a natural animal habit. For example (and this may seem like a stretch, but go with me for a moment):
Rats cannot vomit. Because of this, if they eat something poisonous or spoiled, their bodies have no protection or method of self-preservation. If they get sick they must simply wait to get better- or die.
If they survive, not knowing whether what they ate was poisonous or simply a singular occurrence, they will forever generalize that the item is something to be avoided. If an apple makes a rat sick, that rat will likely never eat apple again.
On a social level, if a prey-type animal comes across an unknown species which then attacks it, this prey animal will then generalize the new creature as a predator and will fight to the last breath to avoid it in the future.
Consider pigeons and people. They live in very close contact with each other, and some people go out of their way to show goodwill to the birds, providing food on a daily basis. I, myself, love birds. I know many other people who love birds and would never think of being cruel. I would love to pet a pigeon after tossing it the crumbs of my lunch.
However, pigeons are so often chased and attacked by people that it is essentially ingrained into them as instinct to be afraid and to flee from contact, even when proffered delicious and plentiful food by a gentle hand.
So we, as humans, apply these generalizations and stereotypes to the world around us and to each other as a form of self-preservation. Sometimes they suit us well. If you go to a deep part of the jungle and are told a nearby tribe practices cannibalism, then you catch sight of a person who resembles members of that tribe, you are very wise to avoid them at all costs without stopping to get to know whether or not they, specifically, are dangerous.
However, if you establish that these tribe members are brown-skinned and therefore ignorantly assume that every brown-skinned person is a cannibal, this is foolish beyond words.
If you were once swindled by a Bulgarian man, you cannot simply assume that all Bulgarians are swindlers. If generalizations are based in ignorance, they become farces. And the tighter you cling to your farces in the face of clarifying evidence, the more detached from society you become, and the less worthy you are of respect.
I take offense when I hear people talk about how terrible they think the Muslim religion is. I never keep my mouth shut about it if they bring it up to me in conversation. "It is not the religion that is violent, it is a small extremist faction of overly zealous and misguided individuals who are, in fact, not supported by the religious leaders of Islam, that are causing problems. And similar problems have been caused by other small misguided factions of other religions as well. Perhaps I am not entirely informed, but through my history lessons I seem to have noticed that more people have been killed in the name of Christianity since its conception that any other religion... Islam and this terrible extremist group are simply the focus of the world's attention right now. But Islam itself, fundamentally, is not a murderous or bloodthirsty religion." I am quick to defend it. If someone insists, however, of attacking the faith of the Muslims, then I will very quickly urge them to simply attack faith itself. Because arguing over whose religion is more bloodthirsty is like arguing over whose chainsaw is sharpest. I say become aware that each side is wielding a CHAINSAW, a dangerous weapon in the wrong hands!
I know a lot of atheists who would abolish religion. I believe this is ludicrous. People have always believed in gods and people will always believe in gods because existence is confusing and miraculous (especially in the face of new scientific discoveries about the universe and the understanding of all the odds pitted against us.)
If I may continue my chainsaw metaphor:
To use a chainsaw as a weapon (no matter who wields it and for what purpose) is a terrible thing.
Chainsaws were invented for a different reason, to clear forests, and they have evolved to sculpt ice and wood. So can religion be a means to remove the forests of confusion and apprehension and doubt and fear. So also can religion be a means of creating beauty and harmony in the world.
But use with caution, I advise; for, to be overly lusty in the demolition of the forests in the world and you risk damaging the balance of everything. And religion in the hands of someone uneducated in its power and potential can be (and is) incomprehensibly dangerous.
Basically what I'm saying is that we should get all the lead religious figures in the world together to make ice sculptures...
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