Dear Editor,
A thread woven throughout all the world’s religions is some variation of the Golden Rule, which instructs us to love our neighbour. This eternally piece of ancient wisdom rings true to this very day and, this month, we were reminded not only of the repercussions of not following it but our call to put it into action.
Our hearts broke as we collectively mourned the passing of 50 Muslims who were peacefully worshipping in their mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand. Like most of you, I was overcome with a wide range of emotions – from fear to anger to sorrow to heartache.
We, as a collective global community, must make good use of these varied emotions and allow them to propel us into action. We must not sit silently lamenting the fate of these innocent lives or brewing in our anger. Instead, we must act, and the time to do it was yesterday. We must be quick and vigilant to chastise anyone who threatens global peace by promoting hate. We must diligently call out dog-whistle politicians, white supremacists and nationalists, and anyone who promotes any form of hate or intolerance. We must make sure these individuals know that we will not tolerate hateful rhetoric, and they will face social repercussions and be ostracized if they display, promote, or encourage hate.
Thoughts and prayers are not nearly enough; launching an education-based campaign is not enough; giving grand speeches about the ills of hate is not enough. It is now the time to take action and stand on the side of love.
How do we love our neighbours? We do so through advocating for them and being intolerant of anything that resembles hate. We must all pledge to speak out against Islamophobic, racist attitudes, hate-motivated violence, and any individual, or group that spreads anti-immigrant sentiment. We must recommit ourselves to celebrating our diversity and acknowledge that every member of our community is valued and appreciated. In the end, we are all brothers and sisters of humankind that are deserving of dignity and respect.
It is this fervour and commitment that we must demand of our politicians. They are our leaders and set the tone concerning what is acceptable and normalized. They must display an open commitment to ending hate and intolerance and be willing to boldly speak out against it.
And we, as a collective community, must commit to loving our neighbour who does not look like us, think like us, love like us, speak like us, vote like us, and – yes – pray like us.
Jack Trovato
Richmond
