To Our Enemies

 

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I've mentioned my friend before and provided a link to his blog.  As I type this, he is on a long flight back to Russia, where he has spent the past year (with a three month sojourn in Thailand).  While I admit that I miss him, I am really glad that he's at last met the person who completes him.   That may sound like a cliche, but I've never seen him so happy.  He took a risk;  he went to a place where he could not speak the language, where the political situation was being portrayed as unstable and gave up a good income.  He doesn't regret it.

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Several of us got together the other night.  Another friend also happened to be in town from the other side of the country.    It was an interesting mix of people.  We differ in ages.  Some of us are the bosses of the others and there was a diversity in accents.  Had anybody asked, people could speak English, Russian, Hebrew and Georgian.    Several toasts were made over the course of the evening, one to our enemies.  Some of us might be hot and some (me)  not and we sit in different places on the rainbow flag---yet---we all have each others' backs and care  for each other.

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My friend, Scott, has yet to be ripped off as he makes his way through daily life in Russia.  He has met and written about the people in his area.  It's sad that we've never had connection so simple, but stereotypes persist.  I've lamented the lost art of debate.  People have differing points of view and there's nothing wrong with that---they always have.  However, they didn't automatically call their opponent a perjorative in response.  Rather, they would offer up why they disagreed.  I guess certain topics just attract the trolls and stupid people have nothing to offer as an argument except to call a person "fat" or a "fag."

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There is nothing inherently wrong in being ignorant or racist---it's a shortcoming in how one was taught.  What is wrong is if a person acts on it.  An individual may have thoughts that they know are wrong and work to overcome them.  If they still treat others with respect, it shows that they are making an attempt.  Keep the bad thoughts within that silent bubble of ones head while the issue gets resolved.  Strive to understand why it's there.  Was it religion?  Racist parents?  Fear?
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I don't know how a girl locked in an attic for years had the compassion and wisdom to understand it, but she saw beyond her walls.  She saw into the future and that there was hope for others.  In spite of  the evil that a few people did, not everybody was the same way.  "Despite everything, I believe that people are good at heart," Anne Frank  wrote.  So yes, as my friend toasted...."To our enemies."