Emad Barsoum writes: A Community Divided
While history tells us facts and events about how the small tribes, counties, or princedoms, when came to unite, they created great nations hundreds of years ago, now we are witnessing a huge apostasy of civility and modernity. After a long journey of sacrifices and bloodshed to establish free democratic societies in the western civilizations of the new world, paving the way to establishing an exemplary nation, we could now bid farewell to unity and solidarity.
Indeed, it is challenging to create a solid community from highly diverse humans. However, our country has achieved significant success in creating such a community, yet far from perfection. It requires total non bias and neutrality to accept living, collaborating and accepting others who are different based on race, religion, language, or any form of difference. Nevertheless, many overcame their demons of discrimination and accepted the others.
However, the shadows of segregation and division are creeping into modern life in one of the significant municipalities of our great country. Whilst the province is preparing for its municipal elections; there is a few areas that its voters are basing their support to the candidates on religious or ethnic backgrounds rather than their competence and credibility. It is clear that such an approach was never initiated by any politician or candidate, simply because they are playing the game of equilibrium by standing at the same distance from every person that they will represent and because they must set an example of acceptance, unity, and non-discriminative behavior.
Observers have seen and experienced such discriminative behavior from constituents through closed groups on social media; however, information always finds its way out. Through group talks within specific communities behind closed doors and social gathering comments, through fundraising campaigns that are directed only towards particular groups. It requires no special talents to realize all the dividing behaviors led by some people from different opposing groups, who are strongly active to manifest their existence and their power behind it.
Sadly, we still see that candidates are pretty silent about such behavior from their supporters! Are they ignorant about what is taking place? Then it is a disaster, or are they aware but admiring it and finding it an effective way to win? Then this is an even greater catastrophe.
Candidates for the city council are our hope for a better place to live in, our safety and security, and the candidates who are running for school trustees who will shape the future of our nation’s future by shaping the minds of our children.
When we expect change, we always expect improvement and progress in all aspects of our life, and we do not want to go back and feel threatened because our representative in any office is supported by a specific group who are the stronger or, the louder, or the more privileged.
Municipal candidates must act swiftly before it is too late, or their winning will be primarily based on how they succeeded in dividing the community. A victory that would lead to more divisions in the community, which then will spread to more than one ward, then more than one city, until it is de facto.
