Discernment: A Tool Against Intolerance

Sister Janice McLaughlin MM

Few of us are as open-minded or as tolerant as Pope Francis. We have a tendency to judge, criticize and condemn those who differ from us, whether by race, tribe, religion, sexuality, beliefs and opinions. The word intolerance means an unwillingness or refusal to accept views, opinions and ways of behaving that are different from our own. When I was growing up in the United States my family had a rule never to discuss religion or politics as these were bound to cause quarrels and to destroy family relationships. This is still true in many parts of the world today.

POLARISATION HAS GROWN The world is increasingly polarized between people with opposing views on various issues ranging from climate change, the Covid-19 virus, the role of women in church and society or the political party that one supports. Intolerance of different views can turn neighbour against neighbour and can lead to destruction and even violence. In this age of instant communication, the media often play a negative role by stressing the most extreme positions and playing upon the prejudices and fears of the public.

Zimbabwe’s history is riddled with conflict between one group and another from pre-colonial times to the present. The advent of Independence in 1980 was meant to unite the nation as one people. This harmony was short-lived, however, as subsequent events proved, leading to further bloodshed and destruction in operations such as Gukurahundi and Murambatsvina. Violence before, during and after elections has become commonplace as political parties compete for votes, refusing to accept as legitimate the views and arguments of their opponents.

Zimbabwe is being torn apart by the intolerance of one group toward another and the unwillingness of either side to enter into dialogue with the other or to find common ground. Each side claims to have the truth and labels its rivals as traitors, ‘sell-outs’, pawns of the British or Americans, or captives of banana republics in Eastern Europe, or subversives, seeking regime change. Even the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops have been labeled as enemies of the

state for daring to state the obvious – that the country is in crisis and needs a new direction to recover.

Is Zimbabwe caught in a spiral of violence? Is it possible to overcome the divisions between the government and the opposition; between neighbors who belong to ZANU-PF or MDC; between youth and their elders; between men and women; between whites and blacks; Shona and Ndebele? Can tolerance be taught?

WALKING IN ANOTHER’S SHOES “Before you criticize someone, walk one mile in that person’s shoes.” This saying suggests that getting to know another person might help to overcome the divisions that separate them from each other. It can be an important tool in discerning whether the differences can be overcome or whether there are underlying issues of injustice that must be resolved before reconciliation can take place.

In the Peace Building Programme held at Silveira House we carried out several exercises that helped participants to understand another’s position. During the land invasions of the early 2000’s, for instance, some of the participants took the role of the landless and others took the role of the white farmers. This opened their eyes to understand how each group came to the issue with very different views, based on their experience and their background. Then the participants changed sides and often changed their views, working out ways to share this valued resource of land.

Listening deeply is another exercise that we used to help people to understand each other. In conversations about a controversial topic such as sanctions or the death penalty, one person had to repeat what they heard the other say to that person’s satisfaction before they could offer their own opinion. This simple practice stopped the tendency to focus on one’s response without hearing what the other person has to say. It slowed down the exchange and sometimes led to a breakthrough in reaching common ground. Perhaps schools and churches could incorporate these practices in dialogue sessions with their members to overcome intolerance?

DISCERNMENT OF POSSIBILITIES These practices may seem oversimplified, however, when we are dealing with a deep-seated grievance arising from injustice, inequality and other structural and historical crimes that require restitution and redress. Discernment can help us to distinguish between these and superficial differences that can be overcome.

A list of words that signal intolerance might be helpful to display on notice boards and in parish bulletins.

➢ Discrimination – treating people differently based on peer pressure, gossip, outward circumstances, etc ➢ Bias – showing favoritism for or against a person, often based on past experience, assumptions, ‘fake’news, politicians seeking votes; etc. ➢ Prejudice – a negative opinion about a person or thing ➢ Stereotypes – a false negative description of an entire group; e.g. all white people are racist; all black people are thieves, etc. ➢ Assumptions – accepting something as true without any proof

Another list of words describes some of the core principles of our faith and that are reflected in Catholic social teaching.

➢ Dignity – the respect due to each and every person who is created in the image and likeness of God regardless of their circumstances: rich or poor; educated or illiterate; black or white; male or female; political persuasion; etc. ➢ Common Good – the ability to put the good of the community ahead of my individual benefit; to care about “we” rather than “me”. ➢ Forgiveness – Teaching his disciples to pray, Jesus said: “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” ➢ Love your neighbor as yourself – Jesus set this as the standard for being a Christian. All people are our sisters and brothers; we are One and will be judged on how we treat our neighbor (Mt 25). ➢ Values – deeply held beliefs that guide our attitudes and actions. We learn these from our parents, our teachers and our religion.

THE EXAMPLE OF JESUS Jesus challenged the stereotypes and intolerance that characterized the society in which he lived. The Jewish people were ruled by a foreign power, Rome, and they were surrounded by groups that had been hostile to the Jewish people and to each other over decades such as the Samaritans, the Philistines and Canaanites. All those who were not Jewish were known as Gentiles and were viewed as enemies.

In the parable of the “Good Samaritan” Jesus turns this prejudice against “the other” upside down as he presents this outsider as the one who cares for the injured man by the roadside while the priest and the Levite left him lying there to die. The story of the woman at the well also shows Jesus challenging the intolerance at the time against a woman who had been married and divorced and who was not Jewish. Jesus not only initiates a conversation with her but sends her back to her village to witness to him. Jesus welcomes tax collectors and sinners to join him and treats women as equal partners in his ministry. Can

we follow this example of acceptance, understanding and tolerance?

THE IMPORTANCE OF DIALOGUE After the attacks on the World Trade Center in New York on September 11, 2001, that took the lives of thousands of people, anti-Islamic sentiment grew in the United States. Few Americans had any actual contact with Muslims or knew much about their beliefs. Into this vacuum, it was easy to fan the flames of intolerance and to turn people against Muslims. The Islamic community in Westchester County where our Maryknoll Center is located reached out to us and invited us to their mosque for the close of Ramadan. We prayed with them and shared a meal as they explained the meaning of their fasting.

We reciprocated and invited a Muslim woman to share her experience of the pilgrimage to Mecca. This led to a monthly discussion group and common action to celebrate major events and feasts. Such sharing helped to break through the stereotypes that we had about each other and to challenge the intolerance against an entire people and their religion that had been planted by the actions of a few.

Can such learning and sharing between people who differ take place in Zimbabwe? Is it possible to organize seminars to share with those with whom we differ? Perhaps it is time to revisit “The Zimbabwe We Want” and to organize conferences to explore various options on critical issues such as health care, the economy, education, land, and other crucial subjects. Inviting speakers with different views from different organisations such as trade unions, human rights groups, political parties, churches and youth, for example, might help to break down the divisions and lead to new ideas and creative ways to solve problems. As Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu of South Africa has said: “If you want peace, you don’t talk to your friends, you talk to your enemy.”

Janice McLaughlin has lived and worked in Zimbabwe since 1977 in the fields of human rights, education, communication and the social teachings of the Church. She is a member of the Maryknoll Sisters of St. Dominic and was President of her Congregation from 2009 – 2015. Presently she is working with AFCAST (African Forum for Catholic Social Teaching) to combat human trafficking.