Racism

There was an interesting thirty second discussion in my physics class today. It consisted of a taunt, a rebuke and a general acceptance of what had been said.

The conclusion of this half-a-minute conversation was that it was OK to feel superior to another race as long as you don't mind being some other race's inferior. I suppose it's morally correct. Hell, it even follows a rule I learned in kindergarten, treat others the way you expect to be treated. We all know the things we learned in kindergarten are the supreme laws in all matters relating to niceness.

Still, something seems wrong. Even though I always accuse my brother of being an idealist, I still believe that there is something that brings us all together. Something magical and out of ordinary sight.

How else does one justify Mother Teresa's selfless devotion to people who she had no visible relation to? She saw that something that we're missing in this chaotic and divided world. Maybe our world is too complex and stubborn to be able to feel the instinct that allows us to come together.

That instinct is one thing I need to find. I believe a connection to humanity will be essential for me to feel useful in this world. At least it gives me an excuse to go on a around the world trip.

Let them be.

I'm a supporter of letting other people do whatever the hell they want.

I'm sure we all know of the extreme case of the Danish cartoons depicting Muhammad. (Mmmm... did somebody say Danish Butter Cookies?) Anyways, even some intelligent people I know believe that those cartoonists should have been punished.

Maybe they should. But I've got more realistic ways in which I want to change the world. And those ways doesn't include wasting my time boycotting excellent Danish cheese in the defense of (dare I say it?) a 1500 year-old man.

I'm sure a lot people have said this, but I remember my dad talking about picking your fights. Don't get stuck fighting battles which won't change the scheme of things. Each person has his own views on what the 'scheme of things' actually is.

I'm not going to tell an 8 year-old on the street to go take a dump somewhere else besides the middle of the road (it has happened). I'll just move away and try not to look. It's times like those when I 'zoom out' and look at the big picture. I could go to everyone in the world and teach them about being respectful to other human beings. Or I could fight to educate the masses of Pakistan. That, for me, is the scheme of things. And that's one of the things I'll be fighting for.

Who knows? Next time some 8 year-old decides to drop a bomb in the middle of the road, somebody may come up with a plan for universal plumbing.