Prejudice Kills

I ask you today to look at your prejudices.  We all have them.  Yes, even if you think you don’t see other groups in a negative light, if you are truly honest with yourself, you will find some out group which will cause negative feelings to burst forward in you.  If they are only those who oppose you or your stand on certain values, they are there, and virtually all people will bear some form of prejudice against them.
Why is prejudice such a bad thing?  Let’s first look at what it does in terms of positive aspects.  First, it creates group cohesiveness.  If those like us hate the proverbial them then we are likely to stick together to protect our interests.  There is safety in numbers. Second, our hatred of others makes us feel better about ourselves.  It strengthens our self-esteem.  Prejudice is a self-rewarding system because of this.
To identify the downside of prejudice, we have to examine some of the groups that are victimized by prejudice.  Particular races are the obvious ones, along with the poor, the disabled, the aged, obese people, gay people, people of a different faith, people who have an odor, people from other nations, shy people, intellectuals, the mentally ill, eccentric people, and people with poor grooming. You get the picture.
If you have a particular characteristic that sets you apart from the crowd in any way, there is likely to be prejudice against you.  And if there is prejudice against you, you are likely to fall victim to limitations, restrictions, additional expenses and any other thing that can be created to accommodate your difference, whatever that may be.  Chances are, you have experienced or will experience the effects of prejudice at sometime in your life.
What is the cure to prejudice?  Sometimes it takes Jane Average having to experience the effects of prejudice before she recognizes that she can be put into an out group as easily as the next person.  When her feelings sting for the first time, it may dawn upon her that she should be less judgmental and more accepting of others.  But the key for all of us is to have compassion for those who are different. 
Compassion, really and truly caring for the welfare of others, no matter what they believe, how they look, what they do or don’t do, whether we agree with them, and so on, will help rid our world of the prejudices that we carry with us.  It is essential for the growth of the human race.
May you be richly blessed.