Too familiar to hate

A refugee girl was telling her life story on TV when the interviewer asked her:

“How do you feel about the people who belong to the nationality that caused you and your family so much pain?”

and the girl answered:

“I know that people who belong to the same nationality are not all good or bad, but I still feel very uncomfortable with the issue. I cannot forgive or forget what happened…”.

If couple of years ago somebody had asked me the same question, my answer would have been similar. And, oh wonder, in her case I was one of those people she was referring to! My nationality gives her creeps and nightmares! She would be uncomfortable in my company! Somebody sees me as a threat!

To make it even more absurd, in the first part of the interview the girl talked about the lack of understanding people belonging to her nationality showed for refugees such as herself.  And yet, there I was, her much feared and anxiety giving fellow human, sitting and thinking how familiar it all was to me. I would have known much of what she’d been through even if she hadn’t said anything further from the word refugee.

It left me wondering about what really connects people. Is it nationality or experience and hardship that you go through?
And what is a nationality after all? Something devised to divide people and make them fight? Would this world be simpler and more peaceful without it?

Perhaps in a fairytale if you ask me. As long as there are greedy minds there will be wars. People are not evil but are easy to manipulate and anything can serve the purpose: nationality, religion, colour of skin, shape of eyes, nose, toes, you name it. I see people as kids with beards, mustaches, breasts and grown-up voices. They've learnt a lot but are still quite naive. You can easily trick them into believing anything you want and then also doing anything you want, even if it is hating, fighting, killing...

However, connecting opposite sides, listening to the life stories of the "supposed-to-be-enemies" can help you realise that both you and your neighbours had been manipulated into hating each other because the stage was perfectly set by a group of manipulation experts, and then sure you can refuse to be a part of it! Killings cannot be easily written off as childish behaviour and the ravaging mass of deluded people is much to be feared of. Yet, no matter how fanatically deviant the world may seem at the time, you should always keep in mind that some human goodness lies hidden back and works silently and anonymously.

After all, is it possible to be enemies with somebody who speaks your feelings and thoughts even better than perhaps you would yourself?