
03 Jul #CharlestonShooting – Maybe we are all terrorists!
Each time we fail to accept the humanity that unites us, we MUST dot our collective history with cases like #CharlestonShooting. We must bring unto us the horror of death through war.
Man will kill for any reason to prove he is superior to others. That reason could be religion, real estate, politics, race, gender or tribe. Before religion or tribe, man was killing for property. Remove religion or racial divide, man will find other reasons to exercise the ideas of superiority in him.
We school our children on our differences that we hardly mention the threads that bind us as a human family
Each time we forget to teach and reinforce the ideas that bind and unite us, then we MUST be reminded by a case like #CharlestonShooting.
Our religious, political, academic and organisation leaders should begin to champion the ideas of MUTUAL RESPECT.
When we say “We are better than them”, they also have the right to say “We are better than them”. Then war is imminent. #CharlestonShooting.
We must raise our voice to say “We are one big family under the sun”. Until this idea becomes the central idea, our existence is threatened.
We must re-school ourselves on the idea of our collective identity.
If the ideas of “We are better than them” is masterfully dished out from our Christian pulpits, and the idea of “We are better than them” is passionately served from the Moslem pulpits, and the idea of “We are better than them” is schooled to a Caucasian and “We must revenge and show we are better than them” is taught to the blacks and the Jews supremely believe that and say “They are all Gentiles and unworthy. We are better than them.” How do we then want to know peace in a world. What makes any of us better? Does this not make all of us terrorists one way or the other. Does it not say we are all responsible for the crises that dots our collective destiny timeline.
The Bishop Emeritus, Desmond Tutu saw the light when he discovered that they cannot be fighting the Whites for dominating them in South Africa & yet go on their pulpits and propagate the idea that “We are better than anyone because of what we believe.”
The Bishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu said, …
“You don’t choose your family. They are God’s gift to you, as you are to them.
… God’s dream is that you and I and all of us will realize that we are family, that we are made for togetherness, for goodness, and for compassion.
… In my country of South Africa, we struggled for years against the evil system of apartheid that divided human beings, children of the same God, by racial classification and then denied many of them fundamental human rights.
… My humanity is bound up in yours, for we can only be human together.
… God is not upset that Gandhi was not a Christian, because God is not a Christian! All of God’s children and their different faiths help us to realize the immensity of God.
… We are each made for goodness, love and compassion. Our lives are transformed as much as the world is when we live with these truths.
… A person is a person because he recognizes others as persons.
… Isn’t it amazing that we are all made in God’s image, and yet there is so much diversity among his people?
… How could you have a soccer team if all were goalkeepers? How would it be an orchestra if all were French horns?
… My humanity is bound up in yours, for we can only be human together.
… God’s dream is that you and I and all of us will realize that we are family, that we are made for togetherness, for goodness, and for compassion.
… We inhabit a universe that is characterized by diversity.”
We must celebrate our individual identities as an honour in our diverse and collective identity.
© 2015 DR. TYLOR
www.drtylor.com
Dr. Tylor Ilori is an acclaimed author of the Mafia-Bible series. The strategies of each series are timeless and applicable in every human endeavour. He mentors young people through his fellowship program called Sabio 12. You can get any of his books here.
Imelda Li
Posted at 05:25h, 07 JulyThis tragedy makes me very sad… All I can say or do is to pray for peace and unity. WE are all God’s children, and He loves us all the same… everyone of us are equal in the sight of the Almighty. If only we are united, we have every blessings from the Lord, and unity is our strength. May God bless us all. Amen.
AkinMore
Posted at 11:10h, 07 JulyAbsolutely right, having a peaceful world is solely up to us.