Monsters

There is an element of society – every society – that creates monsters. They are created with the sole intention of marginalizing or disenfranchising others. Others not like the people creating the monsters. They don’t look like Frankenstein, Dracula, or Godzilla. They may, in fact, look suspiciously like you or me.

These monsters may have a different skin color than those that created them. Or a different religion. Or no religion. They may choose to be with someone of the same sex. They may even choose to change their sex to align with what everything in their body and mind is telling them. They may be female and choose to have autonomy over their bodies. They may have entered this country without documentation or simply wish to enter this country. All these so-called monsters may have even had the audacity to ask to be treated as equal to all others.

But here’s the thing: once they are made into monsters, they become something other than human. Sub-human. They are therefore no longer granted the right to be treated as equal to other humans. They are less then. And those that created them are better than. And that is a most serious and insidious flaw in our collective human nature.

I had lunch with a friend some time ago who, politically, leans right, and so we tend to have some interesting discussions – and we often learn from each other. I left her with this thought: Don’t let people create monsters out of those who are different. Look at any given situation – immigration, abortion, LGBTQ+ rights, Black Lives Matter – with an eye on the human element and always with empathy and compassion. And then choose to do the right thing by that person or group.

Here’s why: You don’t have any idea why any particular woman may choose to have an abortion. You don’t know what tyranny and violence an immigrant is fleeing. You don’t know the challenges and fears a member of the LGBTQ+ community faces. You don’t know the level of fear a Black individual, or potentially any person of color feels, when pulled over by law enforcement. These people are not monsters. They are human beings, like you, like me, trying to live their lives with the same rights and privileges granted to others.

As Atticus Finch counseled his daughter, Scout, in To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee), “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view…until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.”

Don’t let others dictate who are monsters and who are not. Empathy is the ability to understand another, to experience their pain, to truly be able to walk around in their skin. Compassion plays an active role in helping to relieve the pain and suffering of others – even if you’re only able to offer moral support. Be as empathetic and compassionate toward others as possible. That’s what human beings do. Should do. One should never treat others, regardless of their beliefs or lifestyles, as less deserving than another. So, when someone tells you to do just that, maybe it’s time to rethink where your alliances lie. What do your core values tell you? What do your ethical standards tell you? Where do you draw the line? Do you side with humanity? Or with the flawed individuals attempting to create monsters in our midst for their own personal benefit?

And here’s one more thing: these monsters are being specifically created to divide us. To make us fearful of each other. To give us something – someone – to hate. To make us fearful of being attacked. Fearful of losing our jobs to others. Fearful of losing our homes, our religion, our beliefs, to others. Because fear of others quickly becomes hatred of others, and that hatred pulls people to the voting booths in hopes of eliminating what is – most likely – a non-existent threat. It is also how some once viable governments devolved into genocidal machines.

My suggestion is to always look upon any group of people first as humans, then as individuals. Perhaps you don’t like the message a particular group is sending out, but the people within are only human, flawed like you and me, trying to navigate their lives as best they can. They are not monsters and in most cases their lives need not intersect with yours if you choose not to. If you find their message doesn’t resonate with you, you can simply ignore it – no harm, no foul. Their message doesn’t – or shouldn’t – have any impact on how you live your life. In other words, don’t try to impart your beliefs on others because you don’t like their beliefs. That’s not your job.

This is not to say there aren’t bad humans, of course. Those that steal, assault, maim, and murder. But even they are not monsters – although their actions may seem to warrant that description. They are also simply flawed human beings, and we have created laws to deal with them.

Live your life according to your values, ethical standards, and with integrity. And let all others do the same, by their personal standards. You are not their keeper, nor they yours. But we are all humans. All entitled to equal rights under the law, and all entitled to respect as human beings.

In other words, just be nice. There really are no monsters hiding under the bed.

~jwb~