Letter: Preconceived notions can kill; we must fight to overcome them

I once had a neighbor who kept a really mean-tempered dog, tethered on a chain in his fenced-in backyard. I love dogs, but that dog, of a breed with a notoriously bad reputation, had a threatening way of pouncing on the fence that separated my yard from my neighbor’s. I was extremely leery about turning my back on that wild creature as it barked and growled menacingly. I feared that the beast would break free from its chain, breech the fence, lunge at me and plant its teeth in my delicate skin as if I were a chew toy.

That monster’s hatred toward me was inexplicable; I had never done anything mean to it.

Even though that dog never attacked me, to this day, I have an aversion to its breed; I just don’t trust its kind.

As I consider the racial climate in South Carolina at this moment in history, I find parallels between my relationship with that dog and preconceived attitudes that often dictate how human beings react to people we do not know and do not trust.

Not knowing other human beings makes it easy to accept stereotypes about them. We insist on maintaining fences and barriers to honest dialogue with those with whom we usually do not associate; consequently, constructive communication becomes unlikely. Distrust becomes habitual, and habitual distrust can lead to engrained hatred.

If we communicate honestly with those we previously did not know and did not trust, it is possible to build relationships that are not governed by fear and irrational assumptions.

Honest dialogue about race relations is needed right now, but dialogue without commitment to move beyond rhetoric is virtually a waste of time. We must commit to re-ordering our words, actions and interactions in a manner that acknowledges the fact that we are all children of God. We must learn to live with each other in love.

Acting inappropriately or even simply responding with silence in the face of injustice are lessons we cannot afford to teach children. We must self-correct and teach children to love and accept human beings, even those who do not look like us, live in our neighborhoods, worship with us or have easy access to the material things of this world. If we fail to teach children to embrace diversity, we are planting seeds for a failed crop.

We must plant seeds of quality and nurture children as they grow. To do less is to ensure the deterioration of our community and the perpetuation of a sick society.

Columbia

This story was originally published April 22, 2015 at 7:00 PM with the headline "Letter: Preconceived notions can kill; we must fight to overcome them."