The world is unique, rich beyond diversity in every way. Nature is overflowing with plants, animals, and other creations, all of which, when put together, form a delicate and balanced ecosystem. If you carefully observe nature, you can’t help but to rejoice over its enchanting colors, fragrant scents, and heavenly aromas. Every element contributes its distinctive trait to create an explosion of energy, light, and joy. Energy? Definitely. It is an ancestral and primal energy—Love, that comes only from God—that pushes this festival of colors, sounds, and scents throughout the Earth and the universe. It is love’s energy that makes us all equal at the core of our being. We are made of energy, of the breath of life, without which we would cease to exist. Thus, it is love that makes us alive. It is love that gives life to all nature, that moves the universe, that pumps our hearts.

The eyes and the deception of sight

Think for a moment of what would happen if we were all blind and unable to glimpse our differences and visual contrasts. Would we still be able to see and classify our differences? Would we be able to see skin color, height, weight, social and economic class, origin, and ethnicity? Wouldn’t we then be compelled to delve into a deeper level of understanding and communication? Wouldn’t we, therefore, have to trust and depend on our perceptions and sensitivity and, thus, acknowledge the deep energy within every person?

The serpent who opened eyes

Adam and Eve, we are told, were walking nude through the garden of Eden. These two did not see their physical appearance—their nudity—and they were not ashamed. They used to engage in deep conversation amongst themselves—between themselves and their God.

The serpent promised them that it would open their eyes and with that, suddenly, they glimpsed—with embarrassment and shame—a superficial world, a world rich with malice. They began to perceive their “race” and were ashamed of it. They began to see others’ faults and highlighted their differences. Their “open” eyes were their doom.

From then on, the story of humanity has been marked with racism, classism, conflict, division, and violence.

Jesus and the introspective eye

It is Jesus who, at a certain point in history, restored the ancestral innocence—the introspective eye. Jesus is the one who oriented himself based on the energy of the people surrounding him. It is Jesus who instigated scandals by breaking every racial and social barrier, by approaching people without any apparent lens of classification. Jesus closed his eyes to the serpent’s deception and showed us how to live with innocence and authenticity. Jesus was moved and guided by love, a primal energy that moves every element of the universe. Jesus rose above every preconceived framework of his time.

The parable of the Good Samaritan is emblematic, a parable in which social frameworks of that time were completely upended and prejudices were annihilated (Luke 10:25-37 – The Good Samaritan). In fact, the parable begins with Jesus’ “revolutionary” expression: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself!”

One race

Only one race exists: a race consisting of all the creatures that move by virtue of the same life force. This same life force moves the universe: Love, that comes from God. We don’t know what makes a heart beat and pulsate, if not a pure life force. It is this life force that unites us, the energy that originates from the same powerful source: God. We are all connected to the same source and children of the same God. We are all part of the same “Creator’s race” and, thus, when we pit ourselves against each other, we do nothing more than compare ourselves to one another and the same Creator.

Racism is a violent form of breaking away from our source of life, from our source of energy…from our Creator. Racism is a self-destructive phenomenon in our society, one that threatens the foundations of our civilized community living. Racism interrupts the natural flow of divine energy that determines life, love, and the fruitful synergy between all the precious elements of our community and society.

Ultimately, racism suffocates. Fight racism and breathe freely!