Communication Problems: Xenophobia And Racism

204Question: The downside of the desire for self-preservation is intolerance and even discrimination, which can grow to enormous proportions leading entire communities to violence against other nations. What do you think is the root or cause for this xenophobia?

Answer: The egoism of man, his defense, his self-preservation, when he, within the framework of his narrow aspirations, sees that the most important thing for him is to be united with his own kind and then he will be stronger. He does not understand that the power of nature lies precisely in diversity and not in one-sidedness.

Comment: In addition to xenophobia, racism can also be a problem in communication.

There is a widespread belief that there are races among people that can be distinguished based on their physical differences. However, scientific research shows that humanity is not composed of separate, well-defined biological groups and that race is an imaginary category or social construct. All people belong to the same human entity, so there is no point in talking about races.

My Response: I believe that with regard to spiritual development, which the science of Kabbalah is concerned with, neither skin color, nor origin, nor nationality have any meaning. We must understand that we are people and we all must unite into one common whole.

Comment: Scientists say that racism is embedded in the human brain. There are parts of the brain that we use to perceive which ethnic group a person belongs to. Within a split second, our brain determines who is a stranger and who one of us is. Therefore, people who are not even racists may unknowingly display racist tendencies.

My Response: Yes, this is embedded in us very deeply, and we involuntarily evaluate a person precisely by his belonging to a race or even to a nation. We understand that the most important thing for us is the mentality of a person: how he looks at the world, how he thinks, and so on.

I do not think that Europeans by origin who were brought up in China or India and absorbed the local culture will be able to communicate with Europeans properly. They are closer to the people whom they grew up with, whom they understand.

Therefore, it cannot be said that the most important thing is nationality, race, etc. I think that the main thing is a deep inner, psychological understanding of each other.
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From KabTV’s “Communication Skills” 10/14/20

Related Material:
Overcome Prejudice
Xenophobia: The Desire For Self-Preservation
Age And Motivation

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