IT’S an old problem we all have. It
afflicts everyone. You
now see it everywhere, especially in our public discourses. It’s not
anymore only a matter of being a racist or a religious bigot. It has
morphed to affect practically every aspect of our life, be it politics
or whatever.
It used to be associated with those who are usually
regarded as conservative people, the rightists, the traditionalists.
But I have also met those whom we usually brand as liberals, leftists
or progressives, and I must say that they are just as bigoted as the
former. It can be very vocal or very quiet, which is the more
dangerous kind.
Bigotry is basically asserting what one considers as the
truth but without charity. As such, it cannot help but have a narrow
view of things in general, and held at that with so much passion of
attachment. A bigot is a rigid and close-minded person.
Bigotry is a hybrid of so many uncorrected anomalies of
perception, judgment and reasoning. It oozes with pride, conceit,
arrogance, an almost invincible sense of self-righteousness. That’s
why it looks like it has some built-in mechanism for blindness and
insensitivity.
It expresses itself in rash judgments, sharp, inflammatory
words, and views and opinions that are considered exclusively
infallible while those of others are jammed with errors and flaws.
A bigot usually thinks he is all correct, while others are
all wrong. Not even an iota of correctness can be found in them. Often
they use grandiose words and arguments to sound credible.
What is worse is that bigotry is now mainstream and is
playing big-time. It is actually like an epidemic left ignored if not
practically stimulated. Just look at the social networks. There the
freedom of speech and freedom itself are dragged to their worst state
of abuse.
Many people nowadays, first of all, feel that they can
make comments on just about anything. Never mind if they have little
or practically no background knowledge about a certain subject. They
just want to say something. To be opinionated seems to be trend today.
All of a sudden you see a profusion of experts in global
warming, political and social sciences, arts and technologies,
religion and church affairs, for example. You take a cursory look at
their bio-data, and there’s hardly anything there that would suggest
they are qualified.
Amateurs want to sound like professionals, transients like
to appear as residents of a certain place. What is meant to be given
only a casual consideration is given a pseudo-serious one instead.
That’s why opinions are made to sound like dogmas, and what is of
relative value is garbed in absolute terms.
What is worse is that they feel their comments are the
most correct, if not the only correct comment in the field. Courtesy,
civility, openness, tolerance, a sense of self-restraint and
moderation appear to be strangers if not enemies to them. These have
no room in the mind and heart of a bigot.
Bigots want to attract attention. They get hurt when they
are unnoticed. They would do anything, even feign humility and
goodness, if that would draw attention to themselves.
We have to learn to fight bigotry, first of all, by
nipping it in the bud. We have to check our attitudes and dispositions
regarding all kinds of people, including enemies, whom we have to
love, and regarding all kinds of issues.
We have to learn to be open-minded and tolerant, eager to
listen to both sides or to all parties involved in a discussion, no
matter how different or opposed their views are to ours.
We need to check on our emotions, keeping them under
proper supervision and away from points which can trigger their
uncontrolled outbursts. We have to learn to accept unpleasant
developments and other forms of contradictions calmly.
In this, what is most helpful is to meditate on the
passion of Christ, including his trial before Pilate where he remained
quiet even when asked, “What is the truth?” There we can get an idea
of what truth is.
Truth is not simply a matter of being correct, of being
honest to one’s feelings, or of having the info asked and telling it.
Truth goes much further than these levels. It can include being quiet
and simply willing to suffer all kinds of weaknesses, errors and
malice of men.
It’s in the passion, death and resurrection of Christ
where we can see the perfect blend between truth and charity, justice
and mercy. It’s there where we can overcome our tendency for bigotry.
now see it everywhere, especially in our public discourses. It’s not
anymore only a matter of being a racist or a religious bigot. It has
morphed to affect practically every aspect of our life, be it politics
or whatever.
It used to be associated with those who are usually
regarded as conservative people, the rightists, the traditionalists.
But I have also met those whom we usually brand as liberals, leftists
or progressives, and I must say that they are just as bigoted as the
former. It can be very vocal or very quiet, which is the more
dangerous kind.
Bigotry is basically asserting what one considers as the
truth but without charity. As such, it cannot help but have a narrow
view of things in general, and held at that with so much passion of
attachment. A bigot is a rigid and close-minded person.
Bigotry is a hybrid of so many uncorrected anomalies of
perception, judgment and reasoning. It oozes with pride, conceit,
arrogance, an almost invincible sense of self-righteousness. That’s
why it looks like it has some built-in mechanism for blindness and
insensitivity.
It expresses itself in rash judgments, sharp, inflammatory
words, and views and opinions that are considered exclusively
infallible while those of others are jammed with errors and flaws.
A bigot usually thinks he is all correct, while others are
all wrong. Not even an iota of correctness can be found in them. Often
they use grandiose words and arguments to sound credible.
What is worse is that bigotry is now mainstream and is
playing big-time. It is actually like an epidemic left ignored if not
practically stimulated. Just look at the social networks. There the
freedom of speech and freedom itself are dragged to their worst state
of abuse.
Many people nowadays, first of all, feel that they can
make comments on just about anything. Never mind if they have little
or practically no background knowledge about a certain subject. They
just want to say something. To be opinionated seems to be trend today.
All of a sudden you see a profusion of experts in global
warming, political and social sciences, arts and technologies,
religion and church affairs, for example. You take a cursory look at
their bio-data, and there’s hardly anything there that would suggest
they are qualified.
Amateurs want to sound like professionals, transients like
to appear as residents of a certain place. What is meant to be given
only a casual consideration is given a pseudo-serious one instead.
That’s why opinions are made to sound like dogmas, and what is of
relative value is garbed in absolute terms.
What is worse is that they feel their comments are the
most correct, if not the only correct comment in the field. Courtesy,
civility, openness, tolerance, a sense of self-restraint and
moderation appear to be strangers if not enemies to them. These have
no room in the mind and heart of a bigot.
Bigots want to attract attention. They get hurt when they
are unnoticed. They would do anything, even feign humility and
goodness, if that would draw attention to themselves.
We have to learn to fight bigotry, first of all, by
nipping it in the bud. We have to check our attitudes and dispositions
regarding all kinds of people, including enemies, whom we have to
love, and regarding all kinds of issues.
We have to learn to be open-minded and tolerant, eager to
listen to both sides or to all parties involved in a discussion, no
matter how different or opposed their views are to ours.
We need to check on our emotions, keeping them under
proper supervision and away from points which can trigger their
uncontrolled outbursts. We have to learn to accept unpleasant
developments and other forms of contradictions calmly.
In this, what is most helpful is to meditate on the
passion of Christ, including his trial before Pilate where he remained
quiet even when asked, “What is the truth?” There we can get an idea
of what truth is.
Truth is not simply a matter of being correct, of being
honest to one’s feelings, or of having the info asked and telling it.
Truth goes much further than these levels. It can include being quiet
and simply willing to suffer all kinds of weaknesses, errors and
malice of men.
It’s in the passion, death and resurrection of Christ
where we can see the perfect blend between truth and charity, justice
and mercy. It’s there where we can overcome our tendency for bigotry.
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