Coinciding with our Opposites

If I have learned anything from the recent events of the world is that we as humans are so fragile and powerless at times. The rise of social media has given us a tribune to voice ideas. More and more we see the rise of critics and reduced levels of tolerance around the world. What we keep forgetting is everyone is human and until we have walked a mile in each other’s shoes we cannot really judge each other. We criticise the governments, yet forget that the governments are made of people. We are quick to point the finger at each other’s beliefs and actions and will focus on a mid-level macro yet fail to see what is more important and within our control in the micro-level or the broader picture.

The reality, as I see it, is that we humans, as a species, are interconnected with each other. In the vast universe we are so insignificant alone and yet have so much potential together. This potential cannot be realised if we cannot tolerate each other’s ideas, beliefs, and ways of life.

I was born and raised in Iran during the Iran-Iraq war. I moved to Australia when I was 23. I remember the rhetoric and propaganda of the government while the Iran-Iraq war was being fought. Both sides thought they were right. Both sides had their own agendas. Both sides were capitalising on religion and the human values of honour and patriotism to motivate their people to fight. As a kid, I can remember that I was under the influence of all of this propaganda and asked my mom to make me a soldier’s uniform. I was very involved in this and fascinated by the idea of "destroying our enemies" that a lot of my childhood toys were guns, tanks, and other war machines. When my brother was born, mom and dad bought a toy gun and gave it to me telling me that my brother has brought it for me. That was exactly what I was hoping for and it made me happy. Were mom and dad wrong to give me what I wanted? Should have they pulled me back and told me that it is wrong to hold a toy gun and how absurd wars are? I don’t know. I was 3 years old but can vividly remember the bright green gun with its flashing lights when the trigger was being pulled.

There were always talks of good and bad during this time, whether it was on the TV, on the radio, or the word on the street. The enemy was always bad and we were always good. It was the forces of light against the dark forces. It was Luke Skywalker against the Darth Vader. I am sure the same narrative was being propagated on the other side of the border. On the other side, we were being labeled the dark forces and so on.

Can we see a pattern here? Can we relate it to the events of today’s world? Let’s go back some time and look at the events of WWI and WWII and the rest of the wars. Can we see the same pattern? Did Hitler tell the Nazis that they are the dark forces going to invade the rest of the world or were they righteous in their own eyes?

We have all seen what has been unfolding in Afghanistan. The other day, my better half showed me a video of Taliban soldiers jumping on a trampoline. I could not help but seeing the softer side of these soldiers. No, I am not defending their rhetoric and no I don’t agree with the way they treat people. However, I do believe that the first step to avoiding so much misery in the world is for us to look within ourselves. To create a tolerance within ourselves. To see who the person standing on the other side of the line is and understand that they are human too. Someone with the same insecurities, with the same doubts, and with the same struggles.

The way out of situations like this is not hatred, but love. Shall we remember the likes of Martin Luther King Jr and Nelson Mandela? Shall we remember the wisdom that already exists so that it can lead us in our ventures? Shall we follow this wisdom and learn from history? Shall we start with ourselves before others? Shall we quit being the judge, jury, and prosecutor whether in business, day-to-day life, world matters, and ...?

But hang on, we can be the judge, jury, and prosecutor as long as we are the accused as well. no one can judge us better than ourselves. The big fight is not being fought far away but within each and every one of us. The first fight is not the fight of ideas, it is not the fight over who is right or who is wrong - that will come after. This fight is being fought for the sole purpose of becoming more tolerant, listen more, and learn from each other. To have the courage to think the unthinkable and be in doubt about our own righteousness. To understand that “the good” and “the bad” are the two sides of the same coin and our world is a "system of inseparable differences".

It is a day-to-day fight in business and in personal life and we can start small by giving our friends, our colleagues, and our associates a voice and hear conflicting views. To doubt ourselves so shall the certainty be born out of this doubt. To remember those who came before us and recognise their sacrifice, learning from it. To understand that we are remembering those who have courageously fought and fallen in the battles because of their love and sacrifice and not the hatred that instigated the conflicts. Hopefully, we can learn from the past and light the path for future generations.

Let’s start small. Let's start with the next talk. Let’s start in the next meeting. Let’s start with the next interaction we have with our colleagues, peers, friends, wives, husbands, mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, and our children, let’s educate ourselves before we preach. Let's love each other and humanity as a whole as we are parts of the same body.

So moving forward, I pledge, to hear more, to be more tolerant, to be kinder, to be more in doubt, and to give the voice to those around me so that I can use their wisdom. So that, we can work as a team be alongside each other in our journeys. I am taking this out of context but really: “Fellas, what we do in life, echoes in eternity.”