After last week’s unrest, these four “f” words are probably not on everyone’s mind but they bear surprising relevance when you take a moment to think about. Fear, fair and fare are homophones which are all alike in sound but differ in spelling and meaning. For me, they gave rise to a barrage of questions, from which, admittedly, no answer has come forth. At the end of my thought process, I do believe, the first step toward progress became evident.
When videos began circulating of tyres burning, roads being blocked and possible violence, it was fear that drove me to reach out to friends and family that worked or travelled along those routes, to warn them and check on their safety. I was concerned for the safety of protestor and policeman/woman alike as such tense situations, fuelled by adrenaline, anger, frustration, desperation even, can turn bad in an instant. I presume these very individuals on either side of the confrontation were on high alert, feeling threatened in a potentially dangerous situation.
This then leads to the question of fairness. In the events of last week, or any other dispute or “stand-off” situation, are we, (and I use “we” meaning humanity) ... treating people fairly, equally, without favouritism or discrimination? Are we behaving in a right and reasonable manner? Are we letting personal opinions influence our judgements? Are we impartial, balanced and unprejudiced in our thoughts, words and deeds? These are some, forgive the pun, fairly tough but essential questions we must ask ourselves to keep ourselves in check.
Why? How then shall we fare as a society, if not? Are we so gripped by fear that we can only protect and safeguard “self” and self-interest at the expense of “other”? Do we matter any more or less than any other? How will we as a people, fare through these very challenging mid-pandemic times when salaries are cut, jobs are lost and bellies are banned? Covid-19 had sent shockwaves throughout the world, adding stress and strain to already shaky institutions, most recently, sparking violence and tension in our own country.
So, what’s my point and where am I going with all this homophone talk? Last week, I had the privilege of a chance encounter with a 5 year old, which proved my very point... While sitting in my car in a car park, with two of my children, while my husband and my eldest son went into the store, I unbuckled my seatbelt and turned around to face my children and chat with them. A few minutes into our conversation, I glanced across to the vehicle next to us, to see a little face looking at me through the glass. He immediately waved at me and signalled to me to roll down my window. I followed his friendly request and what followed was the sweetest, most innocent and heart warming conversation which put the biggest smile on my face. A simple conversation, between two strangers, with a little over a thirty year age difference between us, where we both spoke and listened to each other: simple communication. We shared stories, asked questions and even had a good laugh. It was an unexpected and uplifting exchange.
So, here comes the point, like the homophone, we all will make our “sound” and share our truth, but we must genuinely listen to grasp the meaning and understand the context from which we speak, in order to get a better understanding of each other and fare well together. We are each different but need and deserve to both speak and more importantly, to listen.
Jessie-Marie Chaves
via email