A Perfect World

Recently an Egyptian muslim colleague of mine was distraught over the fact that, here in the states, the media holds the muslim nation responsible for every act of terrorism. The victims of terrorism always are shown on TV with their mourning family yet, he said, you never see the mourning families of the muslims. He was responding to the news of massacre in Burma, an unspeakable tragedy in which the muslims are cast in the role of victim.

He fears for the future of his four children. Not as muslims who may one day be persecuted. He is afraid of the rising tide of insanity and the weapons and technology available to extremists worldwide in their relentless pursuit of mayhem. He fears his young children will never know a world at peace and that mankind may not be able to survive long enough for his children to die of natural causes. He fears the power and reckless selfishness of extremists of every stripe.

A few days later I overheard a conversation out at our local airport cafe. A couple of visitors from out of town had met there at the cafe and were about to part ways. The only part of their conversation I heard was, "Well, we've got to do something. If we let him have four more years he'll ruin America."

I had to think, isn't it amazing how people can live on the same stage, players in the same production, and yet so completely unaware of any concept of cooperation, common effort, and shared success?

I think if I ever ran for office I'd have to set out from the start by declaring the starting point is everybody lives, eats, and sleeps. It seems to me the persistent, and seemingly growing, psychology of superiority is the plague of our time. I'm right, you're wrong and there is no middle ground. I'm right and you're wrong and there is no room for both views.

Tolerance is the reason America has been so successful and why this country stands as a wonder to so much of the rest of the world. Like my Egyptian friend said, "Why can't the world be like the United States? Anyone can come here and we all tolerate each other." Unfortunately, it seems we are now on a course to become just as intolerant, just as controlled by secular mores, just as economically imbalanced as much of the rest of the world. Apparently a rather significant faction is tired of "paying the way" for everyone else.

Greed and self-preservation are manifestations of biological drives. Humanity only survives by recognizing the need to usurp the biological impulse to a greater social agenda. Whether here or in Burma, intolerance is always the enemy.