looking back from an imaginary happy future
imagine two tribes bickering over the same piece of ground. let's call them the greens and the blues. imagine the greens and blues have separate religions. imagine each tribe's god told them they don't have to share their land with any other tribe. imagine growing up green and inheriting a legacy of institutionalised intolerance blessed by religion and reinforced by peer approved atrocities. imagine the blues inheriting the same hopeless legacy. imagine the misery these selfish tribes will inflict on each other. "am i my brother's keeper?"

imagine more than two tribes. imagine thousands of tribes on one planet. imagine thousands of years of domination and distrust, enslavement and temporary triumphs as tribes enforce the prime directive to fear, mistrust and hate others. empires rise, and empires fall, but across the vast sweep of history most of the people suffer short, brutish lives fearing for their safety.

now imagine a new generation of children born to these bickering tribes. imagine among this new generation peace and tolerance suddenly breaks out between tribes. one generation suddenly recognises the pattern of intolerance and asks, "can't we all just get along?" how can one generation transcend the pettiness of blood feuds and genocide? looking back from this imaginary happy future at the bitter and violent past, what enabled the knot of distrust to be untied? how did the new eyes of children question received wisdom of jaded adults? how did they perceive the hopeless teachings of their parents for the hate that it is? how did they surge beyond the prison of persecution to break free?

that's the question. when will an entire generation discard the trash talk of their parents? is it practical to imagine all the people sharing all the world? where is the reservoir of hope to overcome the legacy of hate?
posted by Will Ross at 18:20