Harmony and fraternity are sweet words that sing to us. In most accounts of the world and its discontents today, however, they find no place. The daily news is dominated by reports of wars, the separation of nations into hostile blocs, lack of seriousness in responding to the urgent threat of global warming, and by the partisanship of national politics. Religions, which commend peace and inner harmony, often produce singers of war. In such a world it is unsurprising that in its naming of weeks and days the United Nations should couple religious harmony and human fraternity.
RELATIONSHIPS REQUIRE WORK
The related observances remind us that in our human relationships, both between persons and between different communities, living harmoniously together does not happen by chance. Conflicts inspired by different convictions, jealousies, rivalries and fears are part of life. To shape harmony out of discord is a continuing task. It demands that we are ready to apologise, to forgive and to work at our relationships.
This is especially true in the relationships between religious groups which are the focus of World Interfaith Harmony Week. In many societies believers mix mostly with people of the same religious group. They are often also divided from people of other faiths by race, ethnic origin, customs and first language. If they believe that they are members of a group especially chosen by God, they may also slide into believing that God has rejected people of other religious beliefs. They then are tempted then to see others as rivals or enemies. They see the existence of difference as a summons to fight instead of as the material out of which harmony can be built.
The kind of story we tell about our relationships with people who are different from us will often decide whether we opt for harmony or discord. Among families who have lived in the same town for generations, the stories that people learn about each other from childhood will colour the way they see one another. If they recall generosity during hard times, fresh friendships are likely to grow and allowances made for bad behaviour. People will act as brothers and sisters to one another, support one another, and act together for the common good.
If they tell of wrongs inflicted, however, the relationships are likely to be hostile. Any new conflict will simply add to the list of grievances. Similarly, if members of a religious group tell stories that suggest others are inferior, are hated by God or are stupid, those attitudes will be shared by the next generation. Stories of massacres carried out by members of another religion, or of contempt that they have shown for one’s own sacred beliefs and practices, can have deadly effects. As the stories are retold they generate prejudice, with the result that the members of other groups are no longer seen as persons but as objects of hatred.
TOXICITY OF WARS
The most toxic enemies of fraternity and harmony are wars. They encourage participants and supporters to take sides, to hate and criticise their enemies, and to pass on to the next generation prejudice and hatred. The stories of atrocities that their people have suffered feed the desire to retaliate when opportunity comes.
Solidarity implies that what we share by virtue of being human is stronger and more binding than all that divides us. We will resist the urge to hate, to dismiss and to destroy other human beings, and look to the good of people who have wronged us. The struggle to live in this way can be bitter, not sweet. But it leads to a sweeter world.