Nawar Fakhry Ezzi
Many of us wish for a compassionate and peaceful world free of racism, discrimination and war. However, this will always remain an unfulfilled wish because such a world will never exist and whether we like it or not, we cannot achieve or even recognize one without the other. Whether on a personal level, in our relationships or as societies, we need opposing forces in order to grow and develop because monotony even when it is "good" would lead to stagnation. Thus, the injustice and destruction we witness will always be the strongest motivation that most of us need to value, seek and redefine justice and tolerance.
This is essentially the principle of yin and yang known in Chinese religion and philosophy, which describes the interdependence and connectedness of opposites in life even at the most basic level, such as female and male, night and day, death and life, and pain and pleasure. This principle is echoed in different forms in many religious traditions and cultures around the world, which can be found in the simple concept of the existence of good and evil.
The 2016 London mayoral election was a wonderful manifestation of yin and yang in politics. Labor party’s Sadiq Khan became the first Muslim mayor of London or of any major European city for that matter beating Conservative candidate Zac Goldsmith. Although Goldsmith lead a very aggressive campaign against Khan in which he insinuated a link between Khan and Muslim "extremists" in an attempt to capitalize on people’s fears, insecurities and the stereotypes some of them have of Muslims, Khan’s campaign of hope, development and unity prevailed in the end. One could argue that his victory was not despite Goldsmith’s racist campaign, but it was because of it. The negativity of Goldsmith’s campaign garnered the attention of the tolerant majority of the population of London and motivated them even more to face this injustice leading to a large voter turnout, which earned Khan a tally that gave him the largest mandate of any politician in UK history.
Another political play of yin and yang is taking place in the the 2016 US presidential election where Donald Trump appears to be the Republican candidate. In his campaign, Trump has offended almost every minority group one could think of including African Americans, Latinos and Muslims.
Although he is gaining support among Republican voters, many Americans oppose him vehemently and some Republican politicians have refused to endorse him, such as the Republican Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Paul Ryan and several members of the Bush family.
Trump's speeches and statements have fired up his opponents reminding many people of the quote of Martin Niemoller, the famous Protestant pastor in a concentration camp during WWII, who said: “First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out – because I was not a Socialist. Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out - because I was not a Trade Unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out – because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me – and there was no one left to speak for me.”
Understanding yin and yang is not to justify racism and wars or even a naïve assumption that tolerance and justice will always prevail, but it rather puts the world into perspective. In the US as well as in many Western countries, racism and discrimination have been the force that for centuries has given many people the strength to advocate for better human rights, tolerance and equality, and it is difficult to comprehend how they could revert to racism, which, if it happened, would be the sign of their eventual demise. However, for those of us who are in the midst of disequilibrium and suffering from its destructive side effects, there is still hope that equilibrium will eventually be achieved if we have the courage to seek it.
— The writer can be reached at nawar81@hotmail.com
