One of the things that I have always noticed about college life is the tremendous isolation one feels from the outside world. Here at MSU we seem to exist in an embryonic womb that - like a mother’s - envelopes us, nurtures us and cares for us. We pay no heed to the outside world and it seems, the outside world pays no heed to us. That is, until Friday morning.
Looking back on it, Friday morning seemed ordinary enough. Many of us were still recovering from the previous week’s midterm examinations or suffering from the previous night’s parties. Many of us were waking up for classes - while at the same time, many of us were waking up for work. But for the first time in my life and in the lives of many, some MSU students awoke in fear - the embryonic womb for many had been painfully broken.
As people were waking up in one of MSU’s prestigious sororities, the sight of a swastika, which had been painted on the side of a house across the street, greeted them. The swastika, a symbol that almost unilaterally inspires hatred and repulsion, had been painted beside a Star of David, an ancient symbol of Jewish people, leaving little doubt as to the intended target of the graffiti.
At the same time as the painting of this ugly symbol, incidents of an anti-Semitic nature were occurring elsewhere. In New York City, a group of individuals drove into an Orthodox Jewish neighborhood and fired shots at a rabbi walking along the side of the road. In Los Angeles, a synagogue was desecrated and vandalized.
But at the same time, we have to look at these events in a global context. They are symptomatic of problems affecting not only those of the Jewish religion, but everyone. These are the problems that greet people of all ethnic backgrounds, all religious affiliations and all skin colors. Jews are not the only people who should be shocked by such events. True, we are focusing on this one event, but it isn’t the only event shaping the world around us.
For many students who identify themselves as being Jewish, such as myself, the graffiti hurt them. But it also was a wake-up call. It was a realization that the horrors of the old days still exist and that they must be abolished. It makes the situation in the Middle East even more important, because students now have seen for themselves what hate and intolerance can do to them.
But for many on campus, this will pass as a nonevent. Many will read this column and make no real connection to it, thinking that it has little to do with them. They will continue to live in their wombs. They will continue to allow themselves to believe they are isolated from the world around them - safe from the hostility and strife that make up the real world today. They can continue to ignore the government-tolerated slavery of children in Sudan. They can disregard the inhumane persecution of Christianity in the People’s Republic of China. They can gaze dispassionately at the television screens showing a defenseless Israeli soldier being tossed helplessly to an angry mob outside of a Palestinian police station. They can mutely watch as a Palestinian mother cries for her wounded son.
They can continue to live their lives in the womb which life at MSU allows them. They can be safe and secure in the knowledge that it won’t happen to them, that reality is and always will be about parties, football, women’s soccer games and classes. Because that is all that matters, right? Sure. Try telling that to the countless thousands of children who have their legs blown to bits by minefields set by generals thousands of miles away. We all live in our own wombs, don’t we?
But we don’t have to live like this. Each of us has the power to choose to continue living in the womb, or to break free from it. To do this, we can educate and empower ourselves in the ways of the world. We can engage others in discussion, learn from each other and bridge gaps between different peoples. I would like to see everyone on this campus take the time to listen to others around him or her. Listen to people, and then respect their ideas, beliefs and dreams. We can each learn from and teach each other, but only if we take the time to do it.
Or, we can live in the womb. True, in our little womb we might seem safe and secure, but at the same time we are powerless to affect change in the world around us. And to be honest, all of our wombs will be broken someday, but it is up to us whether we are the powerful ones who do it through love, compassion and education or we allow others to break it with fear and hatred. It is your decision to make.
Raymonde Wert III, a State News guest columnist, can be reached at wertraym@msu.edu.
