People are People, Even if they have Different Beliefs
Photo Credit Unsplash
We need to stop vilifying people that have different beliefs, cultures, opinions, and ideas. Disagreeing about certain things isn’t wrong and we need to accept that there will always be people who differ from us. However, having a different perspective does not mean that the other person is less than or inhuman in some way. Acknowledging that we all have the same basic wants, needs, and desires means that we can accept that a person is still a person even if they believe in something that we do not.
Opinions are an easy example of how to acknowledge a differing idea but maintain respect for the other person. We all have a favorite food or color or hobby. We may believe that our favorite is the absolute best ever and that everyone would love it just as much as we do if they only gave it a chance. But at the same time we understand that others may have a different opinion and we don’t judge too harshly. For example let’s look at the controversial stance of pineapple as a pizza topping. Some love it, others loathe it. It’s a personal preference and we may joke about how the other side has such an awful opinion, but at the same time we realize that it really is just that: an opinion and not something that requires harsh criticism. We can still accept the person for loving pineapple on pizza or hating pineapple on pizza as a valid, reasonable person who deep down is still basically the same as ourselves. Our personal opinions are not valid reasons to dehumanise others.
Of course the subject of pizza toppings is not a very difficult one in accepting differing points of views. We can differentiate a person from the food they eat and realize that people eat different things and that does not make them bad or inhuman. However, it becomes much harder to accept people whose fundamental beliefs, beliefs that form the core of their identity, differ drastically from our own. However, it is necessary to keep in mind that even on this level we are all still human, and we all still have the same basic needs and wants. We want/need to be happy. We want/need to be healthy. We want/need to be loved. We want/need to be accepted. We want/need to be free. We want/need to provide for ourselves and our families. All of these wants and needs are not specific to religion, culture, race, gender, or politics. It does not matter what your personal beliefs or what anyone’s personal beliefs are when it comes to these things because these wants and desires are what makes us human. They transcend all opinions and beliefs. It’s only when we forget that people outside of our community also have these same wants and needs that we allow ourselves to vilify them as the other, as them not us, as inhuman, as things not people. We focus on our differing opinions and beliefs and decide that they are not the same as us, that their beliefs and opinions are inferior to ours. And once we allow ourselves to view them as less than, then it is not hard to justify inhumane actions towards them. We no longer respectfully disagree we instead turn into an emotional mob ruled by our own misinterpretations and false sense of superiority and conflicts get worse. This is not the way to live.
Now some may ask how can you respectfully disagree with someone whose fundamental beliefs include dehumanising others because they are not the same race, culture, religion, etc.? And that is a valid question. But the thing is two wrongs don’t make a right. Dehumanising them because they are dehumanising others does not help the situation, it does not make you right, it does not make them see the error of their ways, it does not set an example for future generations to move past these wrongs. Respectfully disagreeing and showing that we all are human with the same wants and needs will do a lot more to influence society as a whole and in so doing it will starve the hate and prevent it from growing. Because people have the same basic wants and needs that when we can relate to each other as being the same we, as a society, will stop tolerating groups that insist on dehumanising others. Is this process quick? No. Will it take a lot of time and effort? Yes. Will it be hard and frustrating? Yes. Will it be worth it? Eventually.
We need to realize that we really are all the same. Differences in our beliefs do not make us different deep down. People are people no matter what and to treat them as anything other than people is wrong. Our society can only progress if we can learn that we all want and need the same things. And to treat others inhumanely will do nothing to allow us to achieve our own desired wants and needs. Instead it will create an endless cycle of violence and conflict, a cycle that does not allow us to be free, happy, healthy, loved, or accepted.