Tuesday, February 27, 2007
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Battle of Nu'uanu
I Believe...
I Believe…
Looking Through Another's Eyes
Looking through the eyes of a leader of the Taliban, I would feel that women deserve no rights to education or to go out in public because the strict teachings of the Koran prohibit these actions. Looking through the eyes of an Al-Qaeda terrorist, I would feel a deep hatred for America and hope to terrify America again with another terrorist attack like 9/11. Looking through the eyes of a native Hawaiian, I would feel a pain for my people who were stripped of their monarchy, land, and traditions. These different perspectives are important to understand even if you are not a part of the Taliban, a terrorist, or a Hawaiian. Thus, looking through my own eyes and speaking from my own heart, I strongly believe that one must try to look through the eyes of others and accept the differences in beliefs between conflicting cultures in order to establish strong and peaceful relationships around the world. One can only do this by bottling up his pride so that he does not deem himself superior to others. And while one may not agree with the traditions and beliefs of other peoples, he must at least respect them.
I feel strongly that this pride stems from one's inability to listen to the song of another's heart, which inexorably leads to complete blindness and insensitivity to the beliefs of others. The greatest danger of this pride occurs when one establishes firmly in his mind that he resides above all else, and that his opinions and beliefs remain superior to all others without ever being challenged. In the Taliban’s case, the text of the Koran reigns superior in Afghanistan and dictates how the Taliban treats women. The oppression of women there entails many harsh restrictions such as no education, fully covered clothing, and no going out in public alone. These restrictions are simply in place because the Taliban’s hearts and minds are impenetrable to other ways of thinking and cannot see through the Afghanistan women’s longing eyes for equal rights. The Taliban cannot feel the pain the women feel and are blinded by the traditional text of the Koran. Are these traditions of the Koran worth taking pride in and following strictly? Or can they be changed?
As Asmeh described in her visit to the class, traditions transform over time to keep up with the growing times. Therefore, the Taliban should realize that their century old traditions embedded deeply within the Koran have severely hurt women in Afghanistan both physically and emotionally. The Taliban must let go of their pride they hold in the Koran and change their traditions in order for women to progress collectively.
But who am I to say that the Taliban should change their traditions to lift up women? Although I strongly believe for a push for women’s rights in Afghanistan, I must be careful not to impose my opinions onto others. This seemed to get America into a lot of trouble in her relationships with Middle Eastern countries including Afghanistan, Iraq, and Iran. In Iraq, America imposed democracy on the Iraqi people to follow, assuming that that form of government would be the best for Iraq. However, many view this involvement in the war as arrogant, as if Americans view themselves and their ideals to be superior to Iraq’s. This is an example of America’s overwhelming pride that results in a kind of bossy, condescending action towards other countries such as Iraq. Therefore, before assisting or imposing one’s views on a country, it is important to understand the people and look through their eyes. This will give you a better and clearer idea of how you can best help the country in need.
While pride tends to breed in those that have a lot of power, such as America, it can also serve in a valuable way for those people who are oppressed. Pride in an oppressed people such as the women of Afghanistan, the Hawaiian people, or the black people of America unites them to rise up against the most testing challenges. Pride in this sense does not consist of a hardened soul that regards itself as higher than others and is unable to consider the views of others. Rather, this pride is a firm understanding and love of one’s identity while respecting the ideas and traditions of others at the same time. One gains strength from knowing who he is and where he comes from; pride in this way proves beneficial. Thus, there exists a line that separates those who are too prideful in their beliefs and others who are proud of who they are but are still willing to look through the eyes of others.
One of these oppressed peoples is the African Americans, who faced enormous obstacles once standing in their way towards freedom. They were harshly discriminated against for their skin color, and endured hardships that ranged from slavery to segregation of white and black schools to drinking from their own water fountain labeled "colored". Rather than succumbing to the inequalities established by the white community, however, African Americans rose up in unity to destroy the injustices plaguing the black community. They took pride in their skin color and who they were as a people, as phrases like "Black Power" came to be used to encourage blacks to fight for their rights. Civil rights leaders like the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. stirred up feelings of pride in the black people for whom they were and helped paint the identity of African Americans through the 1960's. This identity was neither of a people who were inferior to nor of less character than the white people. Thus, by understanding their identity and cultivating a sense of pride and will to fight for their rights, the African American community united and tore down the barriers of discrimination.
The important aspect of the civil rights movement to note is that blacks did not see themselves as superior to the white people. The pride they possessed was not a pride of arrogance or condescension, but rather a pride of love for their people and identity. They sought equality rather than supremacy over the white people, which more often than not brings peace between clashing groups of people.
Just as many African Americans gave their lives to achieve equal rights (Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested and shot in his pursuit for equality) many others risk their lives for something they truly have a deep passion and pride for. On my trip to Kaho'olawe with my Hawaiian language class, I felt a deep sense of pride for the land that was healing from the previous bombings by the U.S. military. In some ineffable way I felt connected deeply to Kaho'olawe, the only sovereign land ruled solely by the Hawaiian community today. I saw the plaques of George Helm and Kimo Mitchell on the island, two men who gave their lives for Kaho'olawe. They illegally encroached onto the island despite the U.S. military's orders to stay off the island. They did so to stop the ongoing bombing that was taking place, and lost their lives in the process.
George Helm and Kimo Mitchell took pride in their Hawaiian ancestry, land and culture which drove them to their deaths. Hence, the question we should ask all of ourselves is, "What am I willing to die for?" What does one possess enough pride in that he is willing to risk his life for? For Martin Luther King Jr. it was equality shared between blacks and whites. For George Helm and Kimo Mitchell, it was preserving sacred Hawaiian land. While these men died in their pursuit for justice, they lived lives with a deep pride for who they were and understanding for what is important to them. One should hope to live as they did with a firm grasp of what he is passionate for and establishing a sense of pride in his work. While doing so, he must prevent his pride from bubbling forth which could cause him to act superior to or oppress the voice of another like the Taliban have done to women. Lastly, he must look through the eyes of others; only then will one really hear what his heart speaks and become sensitive to the differences in the world around him.
"Know what is happening in the world around you; that way, you won't only be responsible for yourself but you'll be responsible for the globe." --Mom