Words of wisdom

- Hate and intolerance are destructive forces that drag everyone down. Tutu's message of diversity and the worth of every human being needs to be repeated.

When Archbishop Desmond Tutu speaks about hate, he speaks from experience. The black South African who won the 1984 Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to end apartheid saw plenty of it in his native land. As head of the reconciliation commission, he heard of even more atrocities.

His focus, however, is not on the hate but on the need to realize the worth of each and every human being to the family of man. In speaking to students at the University of Kansas Sunday, he likened it to a symphony orchestra. Even the most simple instruments, like a triangle that may only "ding" once, add to the completeness of the work. We, he said, are all a part of the symphony of life. "We are made for togetherness," he said. "We are made for family." Without the connectedness, "we are impoverished." Indeed we are. Just look at the aftermath of the siege on students at the high school in Littleton, Colo. The two students believed responsible for the deaths of 12 classmates and a teacher as well as injuring many more went through the school spouting verbal insults at Jews, blacks and Hispanics. They also hated athletes, and they idolized Hitler. How can two young people build up so much hatred that they are driven to so much destruction? They obviously never heard the symphony. There are plenty of other cases of hatred in this country, including the slaying of Mathew Shepard, a University of Wyoming student, for being gay, and the death of James Such atrocities are the result of a fear of difference, a fear of diversity. Yet difference and diversity should be considered a strength. "The mature person is not threatened by diverse points of view," Tutu said. "Persuade other people to take your point of view. Don't kill them because they disagree with you." Certainly some of the talk shows don't further that cause. It is popular to speak venomously about anyone who has a point of view or opinion different from the one espoused by the host, whether it be politics or some other issue. What ever happened to respect and courtesy to others?People are enriched by sharing views of others; they are diminished by closing their minds to any opinion but their own. Much as a symphony orchestra produces a much richer sound than a single instrument.

Copyright 1999
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