Narrow-mindedness and Clinging to outdated beliefs because of Goodness and Conscience
I saw this first hand at the end of the apartheid era in South Africa. The mindset and beliefs of the majority of whites during the apartheid era was not much different to that of many very conservative religious groups. (Think Amish but with regular clothes) They just wanted to be left alone to do their own thing in their own environment. The history of the white settlers there is a long sad story of them moving to a new place to do exactly that and then the British would come and annex the territory and they moved again and same thing happened. This happened quite a few times. In the end with the British rule and the mining, it was a big mess.
By the time Apartheid came into the picture, which came from a minority vote achieved via gerrymandering (sound familiar) many whites were long past that thinking. But because of the peculiar nature of the governmental system that small minority government was able to maintain itself in power and force their policies on the populace. Now of course, there were supporters of it also. But it is important to keep in mind in South Africa at that time Apartheid meant separateness, literally. Now of course, in hindsight most of it is extremely absurd, but there was an innocence and an incredible naivete to much of the populace that can only really be believed if experienced. They genuinely thought it was the right and proper and Godly thing to do. It is incredibly hard to comprehend without actually experiencing cultures like that.
Nonetheless, as information began to circulate more freely and debate on the issue became more public, despite heavy censorship issues, that belief in the apartheid doctrine crumbled. By the time Nelson Mandela was released, the majority of white South Africans had long since stopped supporting Apartheid. (Nelson Mandela understood this also which is one of the reasons he couldn't be hateful.) What very few realize is the a majority of the minority White South Africans voted to hand over power to the overwhelming majority non-white South Africans. This is a truly astonishing piece of history that is sadly very little known. It is a big deal, not just because of the white / non-white issue, but for any minority in power to agree to hand over power to a majority is noteworthy. I very seriously doubt if that would have been the case in America during the sixties if the relative percentages had been reversed. But my purpose here is not a political one, it is at root a spiritual one.
The point of all of this is that there came a time where those deeply conservative, good and conscience filled people changed their beliefs. I remember listening to the expressions and comments, which I had paid attention to for a long time. Sentiments like, "It's only fair," and "Yes, but the situation is completely different now, you can't deny the facts" became common. Conscience won out. It is a most amazing story and one that gives me great comfort. All that is needed is fair and honest information. Now matter how narrow-minded some may seem it is often a function of their goodness and conscience - the fault lies in the system that they had the misfortune to be indoctrinated into. But that can change also. There is hope indeed.
It is rather sad, much of it stems from a committed adherence to deep-seated conditioning that is rapidly losing its ability to remain valid. Much of it comes from good people trying desperately to cling to their beliefs, because they truly believe it is the good and right thing to do. But there is a tipping point thankfully. Once that is reached and there is a genuine alternative that can be followed, change will happen and the new alternative will be followed. Most of the people I am talking about are people of deep conscience - they are just sadly locked into a flawed system.
[The following is a conversation I had with a friend after I asked him to read the above article.]
"I enjoyed the read, thanks."
Ah cool - yeah it does give me hope - What about being potentially sensitive/inflammatory? I don't ameliorate my honesty, but at the same time there are many ways to tell one's truth.
"My situation is that I wasn't really indoctrinated into any system, having been born and raised overseas and moving around a lot, always "apart". So I am probably not sufficiently sympathetic to what it means to be born into and indoctrinated under a single type system."
Yes - that I why I want to share this story - it is difficult to comprehend unless one was in it, but I am hoping it gives just a little bit of insight, yes? From the, "There is always another side" pov.
"Yes, and be prepared for some to call you "apologist," perhaps."
Yeah, I don't mind that too much. If they do, I will point them to the forgiveness councils held in post-apartheid South Africa....
"It was an edifying read, for me. I enjoy hearing other POV's. The balance is to admit of plurality, and not get stuck in a scarcity mindset where my POV comes at the expense of yours. I am learning this currently!"
....where they show the policemen and guards tell their stories - fcuk makes me tear up just thinking about it - those poor people were so horrified at their actions once their own awareness shifted - they were kinda screwed as human beings afterward, needing to live with the knowledge that they had committed unspeakable atrocities all the while believing that they were doing the right thing. Super sad, but there is hope in those stories also, in the way that the black population forgave them. Truly remarkable.
Oh - thank you so much - writing these stories is making me very emotional atm - I never knew that I truly connected to the goodness of all South Africans so much. Just thinking of stuff like getting into trouble as a very young kid for befriending the convict laborers that came to work in our yard - different times indeed.
"Our words do not reflect the world, but only our own ideas about how the world is. This is so obvious a fact, but overlooked too."
Yes true - I need to remember that more.
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