Diversity Q & A
Why is there so much prejudice and conflict in the world today?
Lex
Show transcript
I think there's a lot of prejudice, unkindness and conflict in the world because there is a lot of fear. People fear other people and other religions. I think it's a lot to do with greed and money. There's so much competitiveness. You know, people have to compete, you see on the television ads and so forth. If you haven't got the latest and greatest, and you're not making your neighbour jealous, you're nothing. And I think that's the wrong message to be sent out there. And like I said before, the fear.I can tell you a little story: I knew this old lady for many/quite a few years actually. And we used to have lunch together every Saturday, I was a chef and Saturday lunches were rather quiet. And just around closing time of a lunch time, I used to sit down and eat with this elderly lady. We used to talk about the world and all these different things and I looked up to her as you know an elder, a mentor. And one day it came up about different genealogy or backgrounds and I told her that I was an Indigenous person and our friendship ended on that day. And I don't know why, she must have had a fear or some misunderstanding in her life or the way she was brought up. But she didn't like Aboriginal people and more importantly she didn't like black people, she was afraid of them. Therefore, when she found out my heritage she was afraid of me and that confused me for many years. I was very angry at that old lady, I was just so hurt. But now as I get older and I see the fear of other people and the misunderstandings, I just look at it as another misunderstanding and we don't know what hurt or what pain that she had went through. So who am I to judge her for her misunderstanding and for me to get upset at her is just continuing the misunderstanding and the prejudice in another form. So I've got to have forgiveness in my heart and send out love to her. So I think that that’s what we all should do.