Xenophobia

For millennia, humanity has struggled with conflicts between one group and another, weather it be one man vs another, one village vs another, or one nation vs another. It hasn’t always been like this, the first oldest known to exist in the Americas, Caral located in the north of Lima, Supe Valley, unlike so many other cities through out history, had no fortifications, or other means of self protection. Researchers have concluded that, this city existed in mutual cooperation with societies throughout a large area of the Americas, through the trade of their fishing nets and other goods, for fish and other resources from these other societies. It is unfortunate that, such a codependent existence is the exception rather than the rule, however it does give one hope that, such a relationship between individuals, groups, and nations could once again be established.
Globalization on some levels seems to be an effort towards this goal, but on other levels, it seems to work against this goal. With the many challenges facing humanity at this time, some factors view nationalism as a means for solving economic and social issues, however as seen in the past, the scope and scale of human civilization makes such a move counterproductive.

Throughout human history, every city at the heart of any great society has been a crossroads. That is to say, these cities were gathering points, not only for the exchange of tangible resources such as various goods and services, crops and foodstuff, etc they have also been places for the exchange of technologies, and ways of thinking from philosophies, sciences, to areas of a spiritual nature. Amongst these cities have been Timbuktu, Alexandria, Athens, Rome, London, and many more including many through out the Americas, Asia, Africa, and Europe. Today, newer cities have become crossroads, from America’s New York City to the micas of Hong Kong and Tokyo in the orient, these cities are practically nations in of themselves, with their huge populations, technology centers, and other resources.

The global communications networks like the internet, telecommunication systems, etc enable these hubs and others to connect with each other, and the far reaches of the globe. As a result of such technologies, humanity has begun to see itself as a collective, rather than just as islands each onto themselves. This was in part due to the global threat of nuclear war during the nuclear arms race, but is now becoming more so due to the impact of global warming, natural disasters, and a global economy which ties the economies of the world’s countries together.
A lot of work is yet to be done, as there are still biases and xenophobia to be overcome.

In the same way, people from rural areas are drawn to cities for a better economic life, so too are people from impoverished countries drawn to those countries with more stable economies, governments, and infrastructures. Many of the impoverished nations have become so due to corruption, environmental change, and by exploitation by more powerful nations. For decades, American companies have exploited lower wages in Mexico, while taking steps to maintain the lowest wages. As a result, there has been no growth of a middle class, which is the driving force behind any country’s economic development. This has caused a polarization in the classes of Mexico to a few being in the upper class, while the majority suffers in poverty.

As history has shown, irregardless of creed or culture, abject poverty brings forth crime, drug abuse, and the degradation of the community at large. This can be seen in the slums from Asia, Europe, Africa, and the Americas. So, it is no wonder people seeking a better life will use whatever means possible, legal and illegal to immigrate to regions where life is better. However, those who limit themselves to only the concerns of their local communities, the influx of people different than themselves can be troubling. Troubling because, we as humans often fear that which is different. This serves us well, when we hear an unknown sound, when we are walking down a dark street, or see an unknown form moving in the dark of night. However, it does us a disservice when, it prevents us from understanding those in our community who are different from ourselves due to a difference in culture, religion, and so forth.

There have been countless contributions to the world at large by all people’s on earth, from the first written languages in Egypt and the Middle East, to the latest technological developments throughout the world, we have all benefited from the contributions of those vary much like and unlike ourselves. Unfortunately, segments of society are still oppressed be it based on culture, religion, gender, or sexual orientation. Furthermore, economic, social, and educational inequities prevent many of the world’s people from contributing to society to the degree that they should. As a result, what inventions, art, philosophies, and other contributions to society will never see the light of day? For, life on the small local scare is representative and reflective of life on the national and global scale. How can we blame a country for having religiously or culturally extremist views, when we allow such views to fester here at home? When we have segments of our society who judge whole cultures and people due to the actions of their government, extremist groups and individuals, we open ourselves to the same scrutiny.

When we tolerate racism, sexism, homophobia, religious intolerance, and other forms of xenophobia in our community, we are no different than, those who we judge in other parts of the world who are guilty of the same crimes against humanity. When we deny people the right to religion or from religion, we lose part of our humanity. The Dark Ages, the Inquisition, and Nazism are often treated as isolated incidents in human history, but history shows that, humanity all to often does not learn from its mistakes. Weather it has been, the loss of a society due to over taxing their local environment, or the loss of individual tribes with unique cultures, languages, and histories for the purposes of economic gains, or for the right to assert our culture, faith, and society upon them, humanity always looses in the end. Likewise, when we exclude and otherwise disempower segments of our society due to a difference in culture, religion, etc, humanity again loses in the end.

Our current survival on a local and global level continues to be threatened by many factors such as war, poverty, and environmental crisis, the greatest of which may be global warming. It is only be working together on local, national, and international levels, can we face these and many other challenges facing humanity. We can overcome these challenges, only if we work together. We must advance ourselves socially to the degree in which we have developed technologically. Oddly enough, many of these solutions will be technical, however they can not and will not be effective without social change. We must look at the globe as the Astronauts who visited the moon saw it, as one globe, one society, interdependent and inseparable, and as satellites view the world, a world without borders, without national boundaries.

The next time you think of those different from yourself as the other, as outsiders, as those who are different from yourself, remember that, we all share a common biology, and in countless ways through our common origins in Africa, a common history, and that no matter how different we may seem, we are all human in the end.