John Lennon, Yoko Ono, Mahatma Ghandi, Mother Theresa, and many other unnamed and unrecognized people have tried to educate others on how to live a life that prioritizes love over hate, understanding and acceptance over judgement and exclusion, and sharing and caring over greed and monopolizing.
These people held visions for humanity that were empowering, uplifting, and quite honestly what most parents try to instill in their children. So why are wars still being fought, why do we still have inequitable and inhumane policies, actions and laws, why are ideological divisions in our society seemingly getting worse? I believe the answer lies within our very deeply entrenched colonial worldview.
As discussed in previous posts, the colonial worldview rests on an ideology of superiority. One that has only tended to see things as right or wrong, good or bad, black or white. An ideology that leaves no room for other ways of being and knowing to hold any power, or have any influence in advancing or making the colonial worldview stronger and able to evolve and grow as required to keep up with our ever-expanding multicultural society.
This deeply rooted worldview has permeated every aspect of our society, from curricula taught in our school systems, policies and procedures developed for our policing and health care agencies, to the laws that govern us, created in our legislative bodies. The people in positions of power in these institutions, making decisions, typically are or have been, white males with every reason to uphold and perpetuate the colonial worldview. These are the people in our society that have the most to lose if things change, but I also believe, the most to gain!
Learning to share power is not an easy thing to do, but once you get the hang of it, sharing power can be very liberating and enjoyable. You are no longer alone at the top of that ladder, with all the pressure to get everything right all the time. You have people with different ideas to collaborate with, learning and growing together until the best possible solutions to problems can be found. Policies, laws, procedures and curricula created under this type of leadership is stronger, more resilient, and less likely to be offensive or hurtful.
Leading with love and understanding, and opening yourself up to other ways of being and knowing is a far healthier and sustainable model of living than thinking you have to do things a certain predetermined way in order to achieve a certain predetermined outcome all on your own. Our colonized society has been reticent to give up what is thought to be the key to personal success, and I fear in the process, we have missed out on many opportunities for growth, prosperity, and happiness for all.
A colonized mindset comes complete with supporting individuality, personal freedoms, and the belief in the superiority of the free market and capitalism. These values aren't inherently flawed, however they can cause negative and harmful side effects when not practiced through an ethical and moral lens. Not to mention the unhealthy personal relationships that occur when one desperately holds on to colonial ideals when challenged with alternative views. Colonized people can be fearful of others who do not share their worldview, unable to trust, and at times admit that any other way is possible.
This brings me back to love over hate. Is it possible for love to conquer hate in Canadian society? I believe the key lies in the decolonization of our hearts, minds, and physical spaces. Learning to see, hear and understand other ways of being and knowing is essential for conquering hate. To truly challenge injustices, inequities, and solve the big problems in our society, we have to acknowledge there are many ways of looking at the same issue. If we agree that many different worldviews make up the fabric of Canadian culture, how can we possibly believe hanging on to the colonizer's worldview would be the best path forward?
So yes, love can conquer hate if we want it to!
If enough people stand up and support an inclusive and collaborative culture where all voices are heard, all ideas are considered, and people in positions of power are devoted to not only making profits or gaining personal success, but bettering the quality of life for those around them, then love will ultimately win.
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