Xenophobia, or hate your neighbour like yourself 2
12th Jul 2008
Hello lovely people
Even in one of the most civilised countries in the world, Switzerland, a Macedonian woman was recently refused citizenship for the third time. She has lived with her husband and worked in the country for thirty years, raised her children there, and speaks the language fluently without a trace of an accent. After appeals, the local government had instructed the local council of citizens to award her citizenship, but they flaunted this and turned the third application down, on the basis of “insufficient integration”. Apparently she likes wearing bright colourful clothes and jewellery, and that is not the local custom. Do her neighbours love her?
I am sure you will find examples of this in every country and community in this world.
So who is our neighbour, and why should we love them?
I define my neighbour as everyone that crosses my path, simply because I am aware of them. It is a challenge to define everyone on this planet as our neighbour because we have limitations to our consciousness. It is also practical for me to love the neighbour that crosses my path.
Some people come into our lives for short periods, for example shop assistants or fellow commuters that greet you because your face is familiar. They are there for a reason.
Other people share specific experiences with us over a period of time, for example colleagues at work, those people that you employ to clean your house or tidy your garden, or friends in a town where you only live a few years, or team mates in a sport that you play. They are there for a season.
Another group of people share most of your life, for example family, life-long friends, and your marriage partner. Where a marriage breaks up and there are children involved, the ex-marriage partner also shares the rest of your life with you, but in a different way. They are there for a life-time.
All of these people are my neighbour, whether they are there for a reason, a season or a lifetime. I express my love for them every time I interact with them. That includes when I think about them as well, because thoughts are actions that I have already experienced but not seen yet.
When we judge “them” for what “they” do, we join them in their actions by means of our thoughts. We do onto our neighbours what we will not want done unto ourselves, but by even thinking those thoughts, we treat ourselves in exactly the way we do not want to be treated.
Can we change or stop xenophobic attacks? Yes. By confronting the attackers and having an eye for an eye? No. What we can do is feel unconditional love for the attackers as well as for their victims. We can do that by understanding that we need to accept and love our own dark sides. Then we will understand that xenophobic fears and attacks are not about “them”, but about each one of us. That will change the world.
If you would like to receive regular details on my public appearances as well as information that will not be published on the blog, please subscribe to my email list on the blog. Please do this even if you already receive blog updates by email, because the email list is a separate list.
If you would like to leave a comment on the website, click on Comments at the bottom of any entry. Alternatively, if you receive this by email, click here. Then click on Comments at the bottom of the entry. A block will open where you can leave a much appreciated comment.
Love and Light
Elsabe
