I’m not racist. There’s a lot of talk about racism in the news these days. People are thinking about overt racism and hidden racism, and this is great. It’s time to look at our history, and how actions in the past have led to this point in time.
One nice thing about growing older is that you can begin to see and understand the longer timelines. It took centuries or even millennia of prejudice and overt racism in Europe to lead us to the anti-Semitism that seems to be on the upswing today. This European culture which has brought us so much in terms of scientific discovery, rule of law, and human rights, has also brought us an unconscious attitude of entitlement, superiority and brutality.
So how are we going to make the changes we need in order to bring about equality for all Canadians and move towards equitable relationships with other people in the world?
We can point to the education of our children; think about revamping the history curriculum to allow our children to learn the truth about our past. How non-aboriginals came to this country with an agenda of colonizing it and destroying the local people. How just as we have to make a huge concerted effort to turn around our use of fossil fuels, we also have to find a way to transform our society’s attitudes and the ways we treat First Nations, Metis and Inuit today. This needs to be done.
However, that would be putting a huge responsibility on the shoulders of our young people, when what we also need to do is lead them and show them by example how to live honestly, frugally and equitably in this world.
Sometimes the best way to teach is to share the struggle to learn.
As a Zen Buddhist practitioner and junior priest, I’ve taken vows that are almost impossible to keep, but that I will happily labour to live up to for the foreseeable future. Three of these core values are “Abstain from creating discord, Actualize harmony, and Clarify the mind and be of benefit to all beings.”
If I’m working whole heartedly on these vows, how could I possibly be racist?
But when I look closely at my reactions, I wonder Am I racist? For example, when I see a homeless person panhandling, if they’re white I think of portals to homelessness, and how many of our vets who have suffered traumatic stress end up on the street. If they are brown my first reaction is drug addiction, crime, and generations of welfare, before I cover that up with more acceptable or charitable thoughts.
What my practice of Zen Buddhism asks of me is to face the possibility that this unconscious prejudice is present and that it could lead to expressions of racism. I know in my heart I’m not a bad person, but I do have a responsibility to bring these deeply hidden attitudes to light, learn from them, and then let them go.
I’m left wondering if the task is possible. The weight of decades and centuries of prejudice on the part of “my people” is daunting. But as we’ve seen with other ills, the first step is acknowledging that there is a problem.
The next step is to find a path. My goal is transformation. I know that if I fall into guilt, I will be tempted to blame the victim. That path leads to more racism. If on the other hand, I err on the side of arrogance, this too will lead to more racism. I need to find the perfect balance where I accept my cultural legacy, accept that it has to change, and then let it go. This I can do. With patience and vigilance I can do this.
Yes, these are serious times, and we are justified in our concern for people right now and for the future, but because I know something about myself, I know that curiosity and playfulness need to be part of the plan.
On a happy and less serious note, I have begun actively replacing negative images of other peoples and cultures with more positive ones. The media is full of distorted views of various groups but also carries the antidote.
The perfect remedy for constant media images of alleged Muslim terrorism is the world famous Canadian sitcom Little Mosque on the Prairie. I became hooked and watched all six seasons in only a few weeks. And I’ll tell you a secret: it works.
Now the word Islam conjures up in me images of gorgeous hijabs, lovely human individuals, and a complex, compassionate way of life, worthy of respect, followed by millions of peace loving Canadians and believers all over the world.
I’m chipping away at decades of believing lies about aboriginal people by turning to the amazing and enjoyable culture of a resurgent people. Some of my favourite offerings are the CBC radio show Dead Dog Café still available through the public library, the play Res Sisters which recently played at the Belfry, and books like Tilly, Monkey Beach, and there are so many more.
This is an inner journey which is fun, difficult, moving, painful, and awkward. I have to be willing to be not perfect, to make mistakes, to be seen to be the sometimes silly, sometimes blockheaded, sometimes all too human product of my white culture.
When I need support I turn to my sangha or community, I return to the sitting cushion, and I also chant:
“…our virtuous Zen ancestors extended tender care, with a compassionate heart, even to such beings as beasts and birds. Among us in our daily lives, who is not reverently grateful for the protections of life: food, drink, and clothing? It is clear that these protections are nothing less than the warm flesh and blood, the merciful incarnation of Buddha. Realizing this, who cannot be respectful of all senseless things, not to speak of a human being?” (from Torei Zenji’s Bodhisattva’s Vow).
Soshin McMurchy is a junior priest with Zenwest Buddhist Society (zenwest.ca), and serves as the Buddhist chaplain with the University of Victoria Multifaith Services.She lives with her life-partner Doshu who is also a priest with Zenwest.
You can read more articles from our interfaith blog Spiritually Speaking HERE
