On Having a Moral Standing.
And on not having one..
“If you don’t stand for something, you fall for everything.”
Malcolm X.
Yesterday, I left my running club. One of the highlights of my new immigrant life, and where I made most friends, and a community I contributed significantly towards.
The reason: the inability to hold a moral standing that is fair towards everyone.. I’m not gonna engage in its details or whatnot, but the main reason why I left was my inability to engage with people who refuse to take a principled position against anything. I’ll respect an enemy that is principled, over a friend who is wishy-washy about anything and everything.
The moral standing: The Palestinian cause for me is a litmus test. It represents the biggest and most obvious case on whether someone respects principled human rights and if they are able to be just even if it means standing against their own biases.
The war crimes, the human rights & international law violations, the supremacist & apartheid state; all these are documented facts by Israeli and International bodies against the zionist occupation, which if you deny or live in ignorance about, then I can’t help you and you’re probably hiding behind prejudice with your inability to see the sun. I’m not here to argue with anyone.
Why Is It Hard?
Having something to believe in and defend is hard. It most probably brings no ROI or sometimes is counterproductive in the materialist or economic sense. Additionally, not having to stand for anything is technically the easiest thing to do in life. I tend to be in the former group, with visible losses in different stages of my life, but I sleep better. The inability to do so, is way too much for me to carry in my daily life and live with. Having the moral standing to do so is more difficult in terms of external consequences, but not having that standing is way significantly harder for me.
“A man dies when he refuses to stand up for that which is right. A man dies when he refuses to stand up for justice. A man dies when he refuses to take a stand for that which is true”
Martin Luther King, Jr.
That moral standing is simple: Refusing injustice, to the best ability.
We all face the uncomfortable situations we face when we stand for something, or having to confront people with what we believe in. It doesn’t have to be a political position (as this post is heavily inspired by one), but it can also be an ethical, or human one. And in this case, all of these coincide in one situation. The Palestinian plight.
The inability to stand for anything though, is something that is known to be ‘practical’ or ‘pragmatic’ in our modern societies. Our lives is full of people and examples in which staying silent about an uncomfortable situation might ‘sting’ inside, but it’s also safe. We fear repercussions in general. But we’re in time of political correctness, and fear of ‘offending’ anyone, or whatever modern, sanitized words we use now..
My ability to leave a running club in comparison to other situations and compromises is meaningless, weightless, and to be frank: stupid & silly. But taking a stand isn’t. Pushing people to take your ideas seriously isn’t silly.
No one gained anything beyond the materialistic gain without standing for something, and the examples are countless.
In our capitalist worldview, Morality doesn’t exist. Only economic gain. Hence, the support for the zionist state has no legitimate gain beyond the material. from a moral standpoint? There’s not one moral reason that it should be supported, because it violates every moral code that people throughout history fought against: oppression, colonialism, racism, occupation, and you name it.
People I love usually try to stop me from being ‘confrontational’ in some situations, but these exact confrontations are what make us grow. I’m not looking for confrontations by any means, but I don’t fear them. I fear not saying the right thing more. Standing for the right thing is generally more difficult and inconvenient than passivity. And life doesn’t change with being passive, nothing does.
Why do we have to support the weak?
This is the epitome of moral standings, in all faiths, political ideas, or human philosophies. Jesus loved the weak and wearied. Prophet Mohamad said people are blessed by the weakest of them, praying for them. And so on. We generally associate the moral right towards the weak, rightfully so.
And the weaker side in this case is obvious, and the moral obligation is towards them. It has been obvious to the honest inside them.
But don’t take it from me. Desmund Tutu says:
“If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.”
And for that, I refuse to take the side of the oppressor. I refuse to remain neutral.
My standing is not ethnically motivated, but we’re from the same ethnicity.
My standing is not religiously motivated, but we’re from the same religion.
My standing is morally, and humanely motivated.
Yours should be to.
No One Will Be Free.
Nelson Mandela - who was considered a terrorist according to US government until 20081 - has some famous words.
We know too well that our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinians.
These words, among many other words of support, highlight one thing to us watching from a far which is:
If you believed the people of South Africa had the right for self-determination and liberation from apartheid, but you think twice when it comes to the Palestinians, then your morals are in question. Trust Madiba, don’t trust me.
sigh…
I was hoping I can write something else, but if I remained neutral in whatever voice I have, I would’ve been siding with the oppressors.
This week has been heavy, I just hope you didn’t watch as much news as I did. 🌷
It's not easy to stand for what's right. My experience of this has by far been one of realizing that people who don't believe you have to take a moral stance -- that you can both-sides everything -- are almost never the ones affected by injustices. Take care of yourself. 🧡
Well written and on point. Loved all the quotes. Mandela on Palestinians! What an honor and what a great human. Thank you for a good read.