For those who choose to bang the drums of war, slam shut the gates of compassion, and greet the hard issues with false bravado…
I offer these pictures of Syrian refugees, alongside sacred texts from the world’s major religions, all of which speak to the idea that we are our brother’s keepers, beholden equally to some version of the Golden Rule.
And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. — Christianity (Luke 6:31, King James Version)
Regard your neighbor’s gain as your gain, and your neighbor’s loss as your own loss. –Taoism (Tai Shang Kan Yin P’ien)
What is hateful to you, do not to your fellow man. This is the law: all the rest is commentary. –Judaism (Talmud, Shabbat 31a)
This is the sum of duty: do not do to others what would cause pain if done to you. –Hinduism (Mahabharata 5:1517)
Ascribe not to any soul that which thou wouldst not have ascribed to thee, and say not that which thou doest not. Also: Blessed is he who preferreth his brother before himself. –Bahá’í Faith (Baha’u’llah)
[A] state that is not pleasing or delightful to me, how could I inflict that upon another? — Buddhism (Samyutta NIkaya v. 353)
This is the sum of Dharma [duty]: Do naught unto others which would cause you pain if done to you. –Brahmanism (Mahabharata, 5:1517)
None of you [truly] believes until he wishes for his brother what he wishes for himself. –Islam (Number 13 of Imam, “Al-Nawawi’s Forty Hadiths”)
In happiness and suffering, in joy and grief, we should regard all creatures as we regard our own self. –Jainism (Lord Mahavira, 24th Tirthankara)
Whatever is disagreeable to yourself do not do unto others. –Zoroastrianism (Shayast-na-Shayast 13:29)
Tse-kung asked, ‘Is there one word that can serve as a principle of conduct for life?’ Confucius replied, “It is the word ‘shu’ — reciprocity. Do not impose on others what you yourself do not desire.” — Confucianism (Doctrine of the Mean 13.3)
This is a terrible problem, of vast proportions. There are no easy solutions, and platitudes won’t wash away the horrors. I’m not suggesting otherwise…just asking that we step away from our reflexive fears, and quiet ourselves long enough to contemplate how we might respond with compassion, instead.
Sources:
“The Golden Rule (Ethics of Reciprocity): Passages from Various Religious Texts”
I’m speechless. Well done.
beautiful words, touching images… How can anyone not feel compassion for these people? There is only one simple rule and its to love each other. Yes, we are our brother’s keepers.
We have no idea what their stories are, what situations they left behind or what they’re facing now. All we know is that these refugees are struggling, and that we are called to welcome them with open arms and hearts. Because yes, we are our brother’s keepers.
I’m speechless, too. In the quiet, I hear a still small voice, calling us to our better angels.
Thank you.
We need to be the light against this darkness… the Lady Liberty lifts her torch to lead the oppressed to safety. How can we, as human beings, do less?
Thank you for sharing what so many of us know and feel in these tragic times.
Thank you for speaking up! More so, for being the voice of reason and compassion. Nature abhors a vacuum, and if the vitriol gets so bad that we leave–or stand quietly on the sidelines–the Internet will quickly become an echo chamber of ignorance & hate. Policy makers of a certain ilk (and yes, terrorists) would love that.
Amen.
It is a form of prayer, isn’t it? Remembering that African proverb, “When you pray, move your feet.”
To close out doors and our hearts and do nothing would be the worst of all sins. And would be repeating what the US did in the runic to our entry in WWII, going so far as to turn away a ship full of Jews, who ended up returning to Europe and death.
I agree with you–we are at a crossroads. Socio-political issues aside, I think our lives are made better or worse by the way we treat “the least of these.”
painful pictures. difficult times.
That’s it, exactly. It is a liminal moment (using my new vocabulary phrase) for all of us.
Beautiful, Melodye. When we allow our great heart to feel all of it without judgment, without fear, all that remains is love and compassion for ourselves, for all humankind. Thank you for sharing your heart and wisdom with us. It is truly powerful. <3
Just as many images could be put on display showing acts of violence and aggression by some of these people, as showing heartbreaking pictures of others of these people. There are other blogs entirely devoted to the very opposite images, recording the crime and lawlessness. They are not hard to find.
It would be nice if people would be at least truthful enough to acknowledge there is an enormous difference between a genuine refugee, and an economic immigrant taking advantage of the current situation to improve their prospects. But instead, anyone who raises concerns is “heartless”, banging the drums of war, and assorted other demagoguery. Some writers are particularly skillful at invoking demagoguery, as I’m sure Melodye knows.
Those who espouse open borders where anyone who wants to come can just do so, should say that. But a country cannot be both an open borders country and a welfare state as well. Reflect on why the majority of “refugees” that have entered the EU are making a beeline for Germany and Holland, rather than stopping at any of the intermediate countries they are passing through which also provide refuge and safety.
We have a moral duty to aid those whose lives are genuinely at risk, whether we are spiritual or atheist. We also have a moral duty to ensure we do not sentence our children to a country falling apart from debt and the destruction of the civil society because trying to provide a welfare state to the world made us feel good about ourselves.
There are numerous ways the truly compassionate can sponsor refugees, from adopting orphans from refugee camps, to undertaking to financially support refugee families seeking to come here. Real compassion is not asking future generations to pay the bill for your compassion.
In short: “facta, non verba.”
Rick, I want first to thank you for visiting my blog, and for taking the time to comment here. I place a high value on open discussions, and very much appreciate that you’ve been generous in sharing your views. I’ve got a busy day ahead of me, and I don’t want to give an off-the-cuff answer, so please bear with me…I’ll respond in kind really soon. — Melodye
Back again! I like that you ended your comment with the phrase, “facta, non verba,” because it tells me you want to see (not just hear) that your concerns are being addressed. I did a bit more investigating, after which I came away reassured about the screening process. It’s a bit long to translate into my own words, so I hope you’ll accept my copy/pasting a FB post by someone in the know (Scott Hicks).
Would you agree that it reflects a commitment to strict processes & criteria for those involved in the assessment process, and an equally high standard for refugees themselves? Is there more we can and should do, to keep citizens safe while also honoring the process that has so far (since 9/11) been successful? — Melodye
Here’s the link:
https://www.facebook.com/BryanScottHicks/posts/1187326084630475
And here’s the text:
Most of my friends know I practice Immigration law. As such, I have worked with the refugee community for over two decades. This post is long, but if you want actual information about the process, keep reading.
I can not tell you how frustrating it is to see the misinformation and outright lies that are being perpetuated about the refugee process and the Syrian refugees. So, here is a bit of information from the real world of someone who actually works and deals with this issue.
The refugee screening process is multi-layered and is very difficult to get through. Most people languish in temporary camps for months to years while their story is evaluated and checked.
First, you do not get to choose what country you might be resettled into. If you already have family (legal) in a country, that makes it more likely that you will go there to be with family, but other than that it is random. So, you can not simply walk into a refugee camp, show a document, and say, I want to go to America. Instead, the UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner on Refugees) works with the local authorities to try to take care of basic needs. Once the person/family is registered to receive basic necessities, they can be processed for resettlement. Many people are not interested in resettlement as they hope to return to their country and are hoping that the turmoil they fled will be resolved soon. In fact, most refugees in refugee events never resettle to a third country. Those that do want to resettle have to go through an extensive process.
Resettlement in the U.S. is a long process and takes many steps. The Refugee Admissions Program is jointly administered by the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM) in the Department of State, the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and offices within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) within DHS conducts refugee interviews and determines individual eligibility for refugee status in the United States.
We evaluate refugees on a tiered system with three levels of priority.
First Priority are people who have suffered compelling persecution or for whom no other durable solution exists. These individuals are referred to the United States by UNHCR, or they are identified by the U.S. embassy or a non-governmental organization (NGO).
Second priority are groups of “special concern” to the United States. The Department of State determines these groups, with input from USCIS, UNHCR, and designated NGOs. At present, we prioritize certain persons from the former Soviet Union, Cuba, Democratic Republic of Congo, Iraq, Iran, Burma, and Bhutan.
Third priority are relatives of refugees (parents, spouses, and unmarried children under 21) who are already settled in the United States may be admitted as refugees. The U.S.-based relative must file an Affidavit of Relationship (AOR) and must be processed by DHS.
Before being allowed to come to the United States, each refugee must undergo an extensive interviewing, screening, and security clearance process conducted by Regional Refugee Coordinators and overseas Resettlement Support Centers (RSCs). Individuals generally must not already be firmly resettled (a legal term of art that would be a separate article). Just because one falls into the three priorities above does not guarantee admission to the United States.
The Immigration laws require that the individuals prove that they have a “well-founded fear,” (another legal term which would be a book.) This fear must be proved regardless of the person’s country, circumstance, or classification in a priority category. There are multiple interviews and people are challenged on discrepancies. I had a client who was not telling the truth on her age and the agency challenged her on it. Refugees are not simply admitted because they have a well founded fear. They still must show that they are not subject to exclusion under Section 212(a) of the INA. These grounds include serious health matters, moral or criminal matters, as well as security issues. In addition, they can be excluded for such things as polygamy, misrepresentation of facts on visa applications, smuggling, or previous deportations. Under some circumstances, the person may be eligible to have the ground waived.
At this point, a refugee can be conditionally accepted for resettlement. Then, the RSC sends a request for assurance of placement to the United States, and the Refugee Processing Center (RPC) works with private voluntary agencies (VOLAG) to determine where the refugee will live. If the refugee does have family in the U.S., efforts will be made to resettle close to that family.
Every person accepted as a refugee for planned admission to the United States is conditional upon passing a medical examination and passing all security checks. Frankly, there is more screening of refugees than ever happens to get on an airplane. Of course, yes, no system can be 100% foolproof. But if that is your standard, then you better shut down the entire airline industry, close the borders, and stop all international commerce and shipping. Every one of those has been the source of entry of people and are much easier ways to gain access to the U.S. Only upon passing all of these checks (which involve basically every agency of the government involved in terrorist identification) can the person actually be approved to travel.
Before departing, refugees sign a promissory note to repay the United States for their travel costs. This travel loan is an interest-free loan that refugees begin to pay back six months after arriving in the country.
Once the VOLAG is notified of the travel plans, it must arrange for the reception of refugees at the airport and transportation to their housing at their final destination.
This process from start to finish averages 18 to 24 months, but I have seen it take years.
The reality is that about half of the refugees are children, another quarter are elderly. Almost all of the adults are either moms or couples coming with children. Each year the President, in consultation with Congress, determines the numerical ceiling for refugee admissions. For Fiscal Year (FY) 2016, the proposed ceiling is 85,000. We have been averaging about 70,000 a year for the last number of years. (Source: Refugee Processing Center)
Over one-third of all refugee arrivals (35.1 percent, or 24,579) in FY 2015 came from the Near East/South Asia—a region that includes Iraq, Iran, Bhutan, and Afghanistan.
Another third of all refugee arrivals (32.1 percent, or 22,472) in FY 2015 came from Africa.
Over a quarter of all refugee arrivals (26.4 percent, or 18,469) in FY 2015 came from East Asia — a region that includes China, Vietnam, and Indonesia. (Source: Refugee Processing Center)
Finally, the process in Europe is different. I would be much more concerned that terrorists are infiltrating the European system because they are not nearly so extensive and thorough in their process.
Beautifully said, heartbreakingly real. Thank you.
Thank you, Elizabeth. Your book, “Night Benedictions,” is a source of comfort in these difficult times.