Quote:
Originally posted by adduncan
I learned quite a few lessons from this:
1) Anyone is capable of being a bigot. Prejudice is a behaviour, not an inborne trait that some people have and others don't.
2) Anyone can be a victim of prejudice, depending on the circumstance. People will find SOME way, SOME how to single others out. As I said above, most of these people were white, and yet there was still discrimination.
3) Being resentful of past wrongs based on someone's pre-judging of you is a choice, not a destiny. It would be *easy* for me to be resentful of other ethinic or religious groups based on my isolation growing up. However, I learned through high school and on through college that someone has to be the first to break the cycle. Someone has to be the first to not return or perpetuate the injustice that was done to them. I made the choice to break the cycle.
4) Even out of a youth of prejudice and isolation, something positive can grow. I developed a love of Comparative Theology and world history, that came from trying to understand the people around me, instead of writing them off.
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Those are some AMAZING words. Thank you for sharing them! I only wish more people could see the positive effects of negative situations.