Although all our lives we are told to never be the bully, throughout history we can see that that mentality does not resonate with everyone. It is human nature to be scared of the unknown and we tend to be weary of other cultures, religions and backgrounds since they are not familiar to us and therefore seem daunting. In the United States, we have found ways to discriminate against one another in almost every aspect of our being, but one that has remained prominent since the country was founded is racial discrimination. Recent events have emphasized that racial discrimination greatly impacts the lives of countless individuals all over the country; it is time for us to do something about it, and we can start with a change in our mentality.
Racism has shown its ugly face throughout all of American history. White supremacist groups and individuals have ruined the image of our nation by hurting entire racial groups with their ideologies of hatred and the desire to diminish the worth of those unlike them. Those people need to understand that we, as human beings, are not as different on the inside as we are on the outside. We all feel the same emotions, we all laugh, cry and aspire for happiness; so why are we limiting the happiness of those around us by ostracizing them for their appearance? With the recent developments in the Black Lives Matter movement, it is evident that if we all took the opportunity to embrace our differences, people would see that there is no need for the turmoil our nation is currently in.
Growing up Catholic, my parents instilled a very important quality in me: God is the one who judges; we are not God, therefore we have no right to judge. God’s message throughout the Bible is that we should only judge one another based on morals. “To judge others based on their soul, not the vessel that carries it.” According to Catholics, every life is a life given by God, and we have no right to say that it’s not good enough.
In the Bible, Matthew 7 NIV states, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.” According to this verse, if you spend your life on earth holding shallow ignorance towards those around you and judging how they look, when it comes time for your judgment, you will be judged as harshly as you judged them.
No matter your religious belief, it is important that as a society we understand our physical differences do not define us as human beings, but instead it is how we act toward one another that does. If someone is a bad person then they should be judged based on their flawed character, how they look should not affect who they are. Treating people poorly makes one ugly, not the color of one’s skin, where you’re from or where your family is from. If a majority of the nation adopts this mentality, then we can begin to heal and put our best foot forward to create a better America.
