Maharastrians, UP'ites and Gorrillas

"Me and my brother against my cousine, me, my brother and my cousine against an outsider."

This Arab proverb captures everything to do with human hatred with fellow humans ranging from Holocaust to Darfur to Partition riots to recent UP'ite bashing in Mumbai. There is no need for a complex social study or other anthropological explanations. Except the fact that we have been hardwired to hate or at least be weary of fellow humans, ever since our ancestors were living unclothed in Africa. With resources always scarce evolution has taught us to form group and drive away the outsider. And if it comes to that it will be me against my brother.

Not a very optimistic signs, but i am sure this is genetic.. is far deep rooted and so connected with our basic instinct that in our hearts we will always be suspicious of any outsider and given half and chance and no conscience, will not hesitate to bare our teeth.

There has always been this struggle between the conscious thoughts and basic instincts. Agreed we have been hardwired to be suspicious, but then we have come long way from being the gorillas in some African jungle who have defend their territory and food.

The solution is conscious thinking and effort. Maybe things would have been different had Germans in 1933 would have paused and had a second thought when Hitler appealed to their basic instinct. Don't blame the evil alone, the guy was voted into the office first with clear set of agendas.

Same applies to outsiders as well. Do not ghetto yourself, mix and adapt... blend… It might be difficult but at least don't ghetto and be too damn concerned with your uprooted roots. After all you have moved. I am not saying forget your culture and roots. What i mean is don't be too overly concerned about it, don't be so romantically attached to it that it stands out like a sore thumb. We all have this tendency to be more protective and demonstrative of our roots and culture especially when we are uprooted.

I know it is a very emotional issue, about our culture… our past… our lands… our roots... but then keep it such that it doesn't appears an invasion. Respect the locals and the customs. How many of us always complain, crib, degrade and bash the local culture in our private gatherings even when we are living and earning there. This applies to everyone, anywhere… a UP'ite in Mumbai, a Maharastrian in US, a Jew in Germany, a German in Japan or a Muslim in UK.

Just think about it… we live there, we earn our living there but still in private we enjoy degrading their culture to our culture, their ways to our ways, their people to our people. And then the locals respond. Same basic hardwired phenomenon is at work. The hatred for people unlike us is always been there, whatever the situation, place or our type is. It applies to the outsider and the local equally.

What is the solution…?

Leaders or Situations, when they appeal to our inner hatred… our basic instincts, we should stop and think. I am sure each and every one of us the first reaction would be yeah... kick that outsider. But then stop and think… is it right… are you hating him just because he is an outsider, he can't speak your language, he not like you, he dresses differently or he has more money and success then you.

“Conscious thought” is one thing that differentiates human kind from animals. A gift that evolution has given us so that we can think on higher planes, we can drive our actions with greater goals in mind then just hunger, thirst or sex. If we stop and let our conscious thought take over, i am sure a lot of hatred would disappear.

Let is hate others for their actions not for what they are. Let us hate him if he is thief, not because he does not speak our language or he is a brother of a thief.

All of us have teeth… hard, white, vicious... bare them if needed. But mostly… use them to offer a warm smile to a stranger.