Recently I have been watching a doco series on the history of pleasure items such as sugar and opium. The history of these items highlight for me two things. First of all, that those of British descent should feel some shame for the horrible things their ancestors did. And secondly, what do you do when your people have been over thrown?
The British (and probably a number of other European cultures such as the French and Spanish for example) have a lot to answer for in their rape of many many cultures in this world. The two I have been familiar with, the Maori and Aborigines, suffered greatly at the hands of Europeans who stripped them of their culture, their faith and their lands for their own gains. This was of course done because they considered that only one way of life was correct, the British, Christian way. It was done as the best of intentions, but it cost these people massively. Other cultures I can think of are the Indians of North America, Inuit, Indians and so on and so on.
I feel for the Chinese people who were basically feed opium by the British Empire to feed their need for tea. Thousands suffered because simply greed won. How many from Africa suffered across the world because of slavery? Sugar, something we think of as just another every day item, is built on the sweat of slaves. We wouldn't have it but for slavery.
While there is a long long list of horrible acts in our past, does it define us now? I cannot think that it does. In a lot of ways those who have white skin are now carrying this weight. Most of us will come from working class blood lines which didn't really have much say in the grand scheme of things. Our ancestors were no more able to change the world than most of us are able to today. But because of the horrible decisions of a select few in the pursuit of we are inadvertently tarred with that same brush.
None of us can change the past. Not one of us. Don't you think that if we could we would go back and stop slavery or lessen the impact of opium on the families it destroyed. Or return children to their families when they were ripped away to go into re-education facilities. I don't think there are many good natured people now that wouldn't want to change some of the more horrible and terrible moments in history.
Yet so many still look back to these moments and define themselves by these moments.
I have lived in two countries at war with their pasts. I have lived in these countries and seen the struggle that the native people have been through to wrestle some of their lands back. But there comes a time when you have to accept that at the end of the day what those countries were before the arrival of Europeans no longer exists. No matter how much you fight, you will never have that time again.
I'm sure that statement will anger a lot of people. But at the end of the day many countries are far beyond the point of no return. Take America. How would you tell say 320 million people (I'm taking a rough guess here) that they have to relocate ... go back home .... because the Native Americans want their land back. Or Australia. Or New Zealand. About 20% of New Zealand's population is now Asian. And in Australia there is big Asian communities, for example.
There are people like myself who's family has lived in one of the above countries for six generations now. Six. Its been that long since my ancestors lived in Europe. I don't even think of myself as being European because I don't really have a connection any more to that land. My Grandfather has books that list members of my family in the history of the country I now call home. I think I have a right to call myself a native because I am now so far removed from my European ancestors, with my own history and culture, that said country is my home just as much as anyone else's.
However the real point I am trying to make here is not that I'm some entitled white supremacist. Far from it. I have making the point that even though my ancestors made mistakes I shouldn't be held responsible for those mistakes. I cannot change which country I was born in any more than any other person can.
So I ask this, perhaps it is time to stop drawing a line in the sand. The you and me mentality. And stop looking back. Start looking forward. The countries that exists before do not exist now. They cannot exist ever again. No one is asking that we forget the horror of our pasts, but I instead say we should perhaps look to the future. As one. With us all working together as one then we can build a new country that has its own future, its own history, its own culture.
We are often told looking back does no one any good. I think looking back is stopping the cultural evolution that wants to happen in so many places around the world today. I just pray that this is understood before the tensions snap and we see new horrors to add to the old ones.
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