Why Racism Exists
Examining the forces behind the plague
This is a very sensitive topic. Most people don’t want to really look at this issue.
The natural response to racism is to blame the perpetrator and go no further. We chalk it up to having something to do with the person’s upbringing. It was all they knew growing up. They have “issues.”
This clearly does nothing to remedy the situation, and it doesn’t really explain the problem to begin with. Where did racism begin? Why has it crept into human society in such a big way? What can we really do to help?
Black and White
Before we dive into this, let’s take a moment to understand the natures of black and white. Of course, racism is not only restricted to white-on-black discrimination, but throughout history, this has been a recurring theme. For the sake of understanding, we will look at racism through the scope of these two polar opposites.
Blackness, darkness, emptiness, nothingness, void, death. These words all describe a fundamental phenomenon: that which is not.
Whiteness, light, fullness, somethingness, dynamism, life. These words also describe a fundamental phenomenon: that which is.
We are not talking about people here, but rather the fundamental forces that make up reality. Everything that exists or does not exist lies somewhere on the spectrum of this duality.
Black and white are codependent. One cannot exist without the other. Without nothingness, there is no substrate for which something can reside. Without something, nothingness is not nothingness.
One is only defined in terms of the other. White is only white because it has black to make it so. Black is only black because it has white to make it so.
These two forces are in an eternal dance. All that we see around us is simply a play between light and dark. This is not only restricted to color. There are innumerable dualities that arise as a result of this dance.
Heavy and light. Slow and fast. Big and small. Low and high. You and me.
The Identity Crisis
This duality is not inherently problematic. It is simply the way things are, not good or bad.
The issue arises when we start to identify with one side of the duality.
We find comfort in identity. It gives us a reassuring pat on the back that everything will be okay. But we cling to this assurance at a great cost. The harsh reality is that identity is fleeting. One day, our identities will be torn from our arms as we are thrust back into the abyss from which we came.
By clinging to an identity — any identity at all — we draw a line in the sand between what is me and what is other.
Being able to distinguish between one’s own body and another’s body is obviously a very useful ability, and a fantastic tool for survival. However, when it comes to uniting the world, identification is the final nail in the coffin. We must learn how to stop identifying without losing the ability to distinguish.
The reason identification is so problematic is that it breeds fear of death. The moment you believe you are something, you will stop at nothing to keep that something from being lost.
Fear of Death and the Racist Mind
When we are afraid of death, anything that reminds us of our own demise will become a threat in our experience. If we are both afraid of death and trapped in the cause and effect of the logical mind, then we will begin to make wild, neurotic associations.
The mind will try to resist anything that points towards the grave. This includes some of the most important aspects of life. Since stillness is the quality of death, we must keep moving. Since darkness is the quality of death, we must stay in the light. Since black is the color of darkness, and white is color of light, black must be the color of death and white must be the color of life. If black is the color of death and white is the color of life, then white must be better than black.
This last association is the culprit behind not just racism, but all discrimination. It doesn’t just have to do with skin color. In many cases, white just represents that which is me, and black represents that which is other.
Many of us, regardless of the color of our skin, believe deep down that white is better than black.
This is the root of all human evil: evaluation of the self as being better than the other.
What Can I Do to Help?
We can’t hope to overcome racism in the world by telling people not to be racist. This is the equivalent of telling people not to be afraid of death. Deep down, they are so identified with their body and mind that they cannot help being afraid of death. If you truly believe you are your body, then it is only natural to fear the image of its decay and decomposition back into the soil.
If we instead shift our focus to helping people loosen their identifications, then the fear of death with subside and the problem of racism will naturally fade away.
But in a world of intense identification with the self, where can we even begin?
What is Yoga?
The word yoga in the English language has been horribly warped misconstrued. Many understand yoga as a form of exercise and physical/mental/spiritual wellness. It is so much more than that.
Yoga means to unite yourself with all that is.
Because yoga originated in India, many understand it as a cultural or religious practice. But there is nothing inherently Indian about yoga. Yoga is accessible to every human, regardless of where they are from.
It just so happens that in India, this has been an area of focus that has been developed, practiced, and improved upon for tens of thousands of years.
Yoga is the conscious and deliberate act of dissolving your identity. If we truly know yoga, we know the solution to the fear of death, and the solution to racism.
I am not the one to teach you yoga. But the resources are there if you look for them. The Internet has brought the esoteric to our doorstep. All one needs to do if they wish to realize and to truly help the world is simply to open the door.
The rest will be taken care of.
