RACISTS AT THE GATE: The Conundrum Of White Supremacy

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By Dr. Jagessar Das

Being bombarded with news about white supremacy and violence every day is very disconcerting. And we cannot actively do anything about, especially as it is encouraged or condoned by leaders of the country as seen in the U.S. But white supremacy is an international presence. Another name for it is racism or, we can say, superiority complex.

Why do some white people feel that they are superior? If they are superior, do they have to take part in violent behaviour, without considering that other people’s lives are dear to them as theirs are? Confucius once said that the great man shows his greatness by the way he treats little men. And I am sure he did not mean killing little men.

What makes white superior to any other colour? The white supremacist wears black, blue, brown, red and other colours. His clothes are often made by non-white people, and he carefully chooses his colours when shopping! He likely has dogs and cats as pets of different colours, and his home would have articles other than white. So those considering their white skin colour as superior are only displaying their hypocrisy. But they would not like to be told that!

A long time ago I read a story, perhaps hypothetical, of a discussion between a white man and a black man. The black man said to the white man that the latter is the coloured man. Think about it! When the white man get anemic, he becomes pale, when he has a fever, he becomes red, when he is jaundiced, he become yellow, when he lacks oxygen, he becomes blue. The black man said that he remains black in all these situations. So who is the coloured person?

If the white supremacists accept colours in their everyday life, then they could not honestly hate non-white people. But they do. It must then be the culture, language, and other attributes of the non-white people. But these people also have mind, intelligence, feelings, abilities and many other attributes to make them fully human.

The black people were brought as slaves by Americans and Europeans to enrich the white people. Many immigrants are brought to do the labour intensive work that many whites do not wish to do, or find it difficult to do. Without them, many whites would be in an economic sinkhole. So, instead of feeling superior, the white supremacists ought to thank the “coloured” people for their contributions to make the white people’s life more pleasant and sustainable!

But then there is violence. Guns kill! They kill animals and humans. Why is killing a part of human behaviour when everyone cherishes life? There must be something askew in the minds of those who kill. And killing is the gravest crime resulting in life imprisonment or death. A wise, sane, superior and compassionate person would not kill, but would endeavor to make the world a better place. Satguru Kabir said that the sin of killing would not be erased even if you listen to millions of scriptures!

Dr. Jagessar Das is a Surrey-based spiritualist and head of the Kabir Association of Canada. He can be reached at www.kabir.ca