We live in a world full of conflict. Every day there seems to be a new story presenting a new problem. And if it’s not a new story, it’s an old story with a fresh take – new information to wrap our heads around. It’s a constant stream of both political issues and social issues that cloud our TV screens and fill our News feeds. We’re facing injustices caused by the color of our skin, by our gender, by our religion, by who we chose to love and who we chose to be. There’s so much to remember, so much to understand. And yet, that seems to be the real issue, doesn’t it? No one understands because, ultimately, no one wants to. We would rather blindly follow misinterpretations and stereotypes than educate ourselves. In the face of so much discrimination and disagreement, we’ve opted to allow biases and prejudices control our actions. We’ve abandoned the idea of making educated choices and building in-depth arguments, and have chosen instead to take the easy way out.
The root of most of our social justice issues is ignorance. It’s a deliberate rejection of knowledge, understanding and acceptance. Ignorance is a plague, and unfortunately it has made a home for itself within our communities. Our only tool against ignorance and those who’ve chosen its lifestyle is education. The only way to fight, the only way to win, is through knowledge. This means asking the right questions and searching for answers; it means understanding a movement before condemning it; it means turning down sweeping generalizations being fed to you by the media.
Before changing the hashtag from Black Lives Matter to All Lives Matter, take it upon yourself to first research what it is the BLM movement seeks to achieve – you’ll find that it has nothing to do with pitting one race against the other, but everything to do with equality. It’s important to keep the movement as it is, and it’s equally important to understand why. Before creating labels and classifications and divisions, try to remember that supporting the black community in no way means being against the police force, and supporting the police force in no way means being against the black community. It’s a movement that demands the protection of innocent lives against racists who’ve taken advantage of their position, a notion that truthfully doesn’t apply to all cops but unfortunately is true for a growing percentage and it cannot be ignored. Before making a post, writing a status, or drafting a tweet based on a video or a newscast, ask yourself if you’ve done your research.
Do not belittle a cause you do not understand.
Of course, this theory extends to more issues beyond the Black Lives Matter movement. This can be applied every time Islam along with the entire Muslim population is blamed for the actions of a few, or when Trans rights (i.e. the infamous bathroom debate) are being questioned, or when Syrian refugees are being denied at our borders for reasons that go against any sense of humanity. Never be afraid of educating yourself before making a decision. Never be afraid to speak out against ignorance, even if it means going against the grain. Never be afraid to understand.
We live in a world full of conflict, but we also live in a world full of solutions.
