I grew up as an Air Force brat.
I lived in many different parts of the country and saw various subcultures firsthand. My family attended many churches—Nazarene, Presbyterian, Methodist, and Church of Christ. I didn’t realize that each religion taught a dualistic worldview.
The dualistic view
This dualistic view separates right from wrong, night from day, and skin color from skin color. Early on, I was taught to view the world from a dualistic perspective, that right and wrong include the idea that it is right not to steal and wrong to take others’ things. You are right if you agree with the teachings of my church and evil if you do not. You are right if you believe in the equality of all humans and wrong if you believe that one person is better than another.
Dualistic thinking permeates our thoughts, language, and myths. Joseph Campbell has written several books about our historical myths and legends. Much of our fictional literature is based on his hero’s journey—the hero fighting the good fight and overcoming evil. But as I have aged and watched the separatist and caste philosophy growing in this country and the world, I find this very disturbing.
The maps we have drawn have separated us into countries by the color of our skin and by the political beliefs we have. We see others as either like us or different from us. In one city I lived in, people were either acceptable or not, depending on which side of the railroad tracks they lived on. In the south, people labeled others as good, black, or poor white trash—an example of the dualistic view of them or us. At family gatherings, we no longer talk about our political or religious beliefs because it separates us into them and us.
A monolistic view
To continue building a better world for our children, you must change your view of people: from this dualistic view of them and us to a monolithic idea of all people being one. We can no longer view the world from our historical dualistic and tribalistic points of view.
We must see ourselves as one whole humanity.
