When I started my blog, I promised to dwell upon the spiritual, the artistic and the political. We've now touched upon the first two topics, so now it's time to throw in a mild political post.
The "Arab Spring" and the West
November 24th, 2011
Toronto, ON
Did I say "mild?" Oops.
Over the past year, we've seen a series of upheavals across the Arab world, resulting in overthrown governments, deposed dictators and countless casualties-- innocent and otherwise. People across the world are trying to make sense of all these events, and speculation within the United States, Canada and other "western" nations is at an all-time high.
The question on the minds of many I've encountered is this: "Are these revolutions occurring as a result of the acceptance of 'western' ideals by the people?" (I use the term "western" with great hesitation.)
There are several conclusions we can arrive at, with some certainty:
The upheavals symbolize the rejection of:
1. Corruption
2. Suppression of freedom of speech
These rejections are widespread.
3. Religious fanaticism/orthodoxy
This rejection is not shared by all, but certainly by a sizable portion of the protesters.
The question, then, is this: Are these three things mentioned above "western" ideals exclusively?
Absolutely not.
We in the "west" have an arrogant tendency to believe that values such as "freedom", "liberty", "justice" and the like, are our own creations which we selflessly export across the world. Some of us even believe that terrorists hate us for our freedom.
Ponder that bit of absurdity for a moment.
Every single person on this planet desires freedom to do as they please. We all desire the freedom to listen to the music that suites our taste, to marry the person that we love, and to adhere to our own beliefs without suffering for it. This is true of people in every part of the world.
To believe that large masses of people hate us for being "free" is not only arrogant, but entirely misinformed. These are humanist ideals we're dealing with, and they are not exclusive to the west. The anger and resentment in the Arab world has more to do with the three things we outlined above: Corruption, suppression of freedom, and religious fanaticism. (Some may be envious of our having attained certain degrees of liberty, but not even the hardened "terrorist" would pass up the opportunity to have it for himself/herself, were it offered to them.)
Would we say that corruption, suppression and fanaticism are products of the Arab world? Absolutely not. One needs to look no further than the recent "Occupy Wall Street" protests to recognize that corruption and inequality exist in our own countries. One needs look no further than the literalist-evangelical organizations in North America to recognize that religious fanaticism is alive and well in our own backyard. A quick glance at the United States' securitization efforts in the post-9/11 world will give us the hint that speech, in this day, is not as free as it once was.
The point is this: Values, such as freedom, liberty and the like, are values that all of mankind strives for. It is desired by the vast majority of mankind, and it is exclusive to no one. Likewise, the problems that plague our societies such as corruption, suppression of freedom, and religious fanaticism, are problems that plague all societies, whether Christian, Islamic, or otherwise. When we begin to disassociate ourselves from these counterproductive labels (eg. West vs. The Rest, Christian vs. Islam, 1st world vs. 3rd world), we will recognize that we are all striving towards similar goals, and are all hindered by similar issues.
When these labels are discarded, we will begin to truly recognize the oneness of mankind.
Abdu'l Baha, the son of Baha'u'llah, offers this prayer:
"O Divine Providence! This assemblage is composed of Thy friends who are attracted to Thy beauty and are set ablaze by the fire of Thy love. Turn these souls into heavenly angels, resuscitate them through the breath of Thy Holy Spirit, grant them eloquent tongues and resolute hearts, bestow upon them heavenly power and merciful susceptibilities, cause them to become the promulgators of the oneness of mankind and the cause of love and concord in the world of humanity, so that the perilous darkness of ignorant prejudice may vanish through the light of the Sun of Truth, this dreary world may become illumined, this material realm may absorb the rays of the world of spirit, these different colours may merge into one colour and the melody of praise may rise to the kingdom of Thy sanctity.
Verily, Thou art the Omnipotent and the Almighty!
(Abdu'l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha, p. 105)
The next political blog will dwell upon "The Future of the Arab Spring". Stay tuned.
~
The "Arab Spring" and the West
November 24th, 2011
Toronto, ON
Did I say "mild?" Oops.
Over the past year, we've seen a series of upheavals across the Arab world, resulting in overthrown governments, deposed dictators and countless casualties-- innocent and otherwise. People across the world are trying to make sense of all these events, and speculation within the United States, Canada and other "western" nations is at an all-time high.
The question on the minds of many I've encountered is this: "Are these revolutions occurring as a result of the acceptance of 'western' ideals by the people?" (I use the term "western" with great hesitation.)
There are several conclusions we can arrive at, with some certainty:
The upheavals symbolize the rejection of:
1. Corruption
2. Suppression of freedom of speech
These rejections are widespread.
3. Religious fanaticism/orthodoxy
This rejection is not shared by all, but certainly by a sizable portion of the protesters.
The question, then, is this: Are these three things mentioned above "western" ideals exclusively?
Absolutely not.
We in the "west" have an arrogant tendency to believe that values such as "freedom", "liberty", "justice" and the like, are our own creations which we selflessly export across the world. Some of us even believe that terrorists hate us for our freedom.
Ponder that bit of absurdity for a moment.
Every single person on this planet desires freedom to do as they please. We all desire the freedom to listen to the music that suites our taste, to marry the person that we love, and to adhere to our own beliefs without suffering for it. This is true of people in every part of the world.
To believe that large masses of people hate us for being "free" is not only arrogant, but entirely misinformed. These are humanist ideals we're dealing with, and they are not exclusive to the west. The anger and resentment in the Arab world has more to do with the three things we outlined above: Corruption, suppression of freedom, and religious fanaticism. (Some may be envious of our having attained certain degrees of liberty, but not even the hardened "terrorist" would pass up the opportunity to have it for himself/herself, were it offered to them.)
Would we say that corruption, suppression and fanaticism are products of the Arab world? Absolutely not. One needs to look no further than the recent "Occupy Wall Street" protests to recognize that corruption and inequality exist in our own countries. One needs look no further than the literalist-evangelical organizations in North America to recognize that religious fanaticism is alive and well in our own backyard. A quick glance at the United States' securitization efforts in the post-9/11 world will give us the hint that speech, in this day, is not as free as it once was.
The point is this: Values, such as freedom, liberty and the like, are values that all of mankind strives for. It is desired by the vast majority of mankind, and it is exclusive to no one. Likewise, the problems that plague our societies such as corruption, suppression of freedom, and religious fanaticism, are problems that plague all societies, whether Christian, Islamic, or otherwise. When we begin to disassociate ourselves from these counterproductive labels (eg. West vs. The Rest, Christian vs. Islam, 1st world vs. 3rd world), we will recognize that we are all striving towards similar goals, and are all hindered by similar issues.
When these labels are discarded, we will begin to truly recognize the oneness of mankind.
Abdu'l Baha, the son of Baha'u'llah, offers this prayer:
"O Divine Providence! This assemblage is composed of Thy friends who are attracted to Thy beauty and are set ablaze by the fire of Thy love. Turn these souls into heavenly angels, resuscitate them through the breath of Thy Holy Spirit, grant them eloquent tongues and resolute hearts, bestow upon them heavenly power and merciful susceptibilities, cause them to become the promulgators of the oneness of mankind and the cause of love and concord in the world of humanity, so that the perilous darkness of ignorant prejudice may vanish through the light of the Sun of Truth, this dreary world may become illumined, this material realm may absorb the rays of the world of spirit, these different colours may merge into one colour and the melody of praise may rise to the kingdom of Thy sanctity.
Verily, Thou art the Omnipotent and the Almighty!
(Abdu'l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha, p. 105)
The next political blog will dwell upon "The Future of the Arab Spring". Stay tuned.
~
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