Fishing about and about fishing

THE OTHER SIDE TO EVERYTHING

 

  There is a second side to everything. The second side is the side that most people try to forget about, push it into   their memory gaps, or pretend that they don't know of its   existence. Many people never look at or think of the other side, for their upbringing prevents them from looking up things that may change their attitudes and thinking. Thinking seems

dangerous to too many educators, especially those busy with   religious and political indoctrination of their respective flocks.  Still, the world would be a much more pleasant and liveable place if people would recognise the existence of the other sides, and accept that in most cases something should be done about them.

 

Once upon a time, I was working in Africa and had an outstanding

Eritrean trainee. This young man could read and write in 4 languages and speak in three or four more.  His IQ would have pushed him through every prestigious university would he had the luck to be born elsewhere. Although a devoted Moslem by birth, he used to employ his mind in critical thinking and evaluation of any new information that came into his possession.

 

In one of our group conversations we touched the subject of slavery.  The tribes of the area have been for centuries subject to raids by slave traders from the eastern coast of the Red Sea and many of my trainees' brethren have been enslaved in countries of the Arab Peninsula. So, they must have been exposed to some sort of historic tribal remembrance of slavery. Obviously, neither myself nor other participants in the conversation had good words to say about slavery. Suddenly our bright young friend said: "Wait a minute, you all are not being fair about slavery.  There is another side to it.  A slave is taken care off by his master.  A slave doesn't have to worry about food, housing and clothes.  The master even takes care of his slaves matrimony and upbringing of the slaves' children. Most of slaves' masters were really taking good care of their slaves.  Now, look at the misery around.  Everybody is free, but so many are hungry and have no place to live.  Look at all these skinny, young beggars. Wouldn't they be better off as slaves? And myself; can I ever get myself a wife. What are my chances to accumulate all that money or cattle for the bride price?"

 

Even before we went to Africa, we had here an African visitor - a Nigerian fisheries officer on training, a well-educated and outspoken man of the Christian persuasion. Once, we invited him home to kibbutz Sa'ar, where we entertained him along with some friends. Among other subjects we were talking about was that of  polygamy. One of our kibbutz members, a lady, spoke very fervently against that custom, its injustice towards women, etc., etc. "The African women" - said she - "should organise and demonstrate against polygamy".

 

"Wait a minute" - said our African visitor - "there's also another side to polygamy. You have no idea how many women will remain without husbands at all, if polygamy is stopped. Believe me, your demonstrations would be faced with larger counter-demonstrations of single women who hope to marry, polygamy or not. They think that polygamy is better than to stay single".

 

There is, for example, the other side of patriotism, which unfortunately, is frequently quite sinister.  Too many people believe that it's not enough to love your own people and country.  They think that one cannot be a true patriot without hating some other people.  A true patriot, they think, must hate his country's enemies who, true or imaginary, are absolutely necessary for maintaining the patriotism.  So, hate the enemies and love your country! Consequently, maintaining that what your people deserve

also other people deserve, is often pronounced utterly unpatriotic.

 

Such patriotism developed a special, parallel, vocabulary. Here's an example:

 

We/our They/their

 

kill, shoot murder

freedom fighters terrorists

guerrillas marauders, bandits

confiscate rob, steal

demonstrate riot

squads, teams  bands, gangs

courageous, determined blood-thirsty, etc., etc….

 

 

  There is even another side to drug trafficking.  I saw, for   example, a new town in a Latin American country, which was not there only a few years ago.  I asked my local driver how comes a whole town pops up in such a short time.  "No problem" - said the   man - "it’s drug money.  A lot of drug money is being invested in the country.  This is bad money, but it has done a lot of good to many poor people..." .  So, while one can send good money the bad way, one   also can send bad money the good way.

 

Then, there's the other side to religion.  The front one, beautiful, bright side of religion is its role in maintaining   human values such as the ten commandments, loving your brethren, family values, truthfulness, justice, righteousness, helping sick   and poor, etc.  The backside of religion may be pure horror.

 

Totalitarian terror, individual and mass murder, racial and religious discrimination, sexism, ...  and what not.  Religions are used and misused by holy establishments in general, and individual clerics and lay religionists, in particular, to further unholy ends. Corruption, greed, and lust for power are as characteristic of religious establishments as they are of other ones.

 

Organised religions tend to exploit their followers and consider the other their mortal enemies. If they can get rid of them, even physically, they do just that, and the history of mankind is full of examples. Upon God's (or gods') orders, in God's name, for His sake, or in His service, they destroy others’, (strange, hostile, pagan, infidel, heretic, etc.) religious establishments, their leaders and followers, to protect or defend themselves and their functionaries, to rob their riches and gain more power, and, if that's the policy, take over their flocks.

 

  Organised religion has little to do with faith. Many religious functionaries are quite cynical about their faith. Russian Communism and German Nazism have replaced theology with political ideology and became sort of godless churches, with omnipotent prophets and over-privileged though well-disciplined priesthoods. The communists have been striving for the future they've invented, the Nazis and other nationalists have been after the past they've invented. Both have been ready to sacrifice millions to get there.

 

  Religions have produced tremendous amounts of holy literature, full with dos and don'ts, beautiful tales, legends, parables, etc., in prose and poetry. The general spirit of all these scriptures is positive towards all human beings. It emphasises love, honesty and harmony, and forbids any sort of wrongdoing. The other side of the religious scripts, however, is that they can be easily manipulated. The ocean of legal, philosophical, and belletristic information contained in holy volumes, includes numerous lines, verses, pronouncements, interpretations, and other sorts of expressions which can be taken out of context of that general spirit, twisted and distorted by cynics and fanatics, and used as citations in the service of their "only true religions", and as banners over their political, military, or simply financial band-wagons.

 

  Organised religions could not rule forcefully enough over their flocks by referring to God alone. They needed the elements of punishment on one hand and of a scapegoat, on the other.  Thus, they invented Satan and his equivalents as the other side of God. Satan is useful to them, for he can be blamed for deeds, misdeeds, and situations; one couldn't or wouldn't blame God for.  Being all-bad, Satan can be used also as a punishing arm of God, Thus, he as the other side of God becomes an infinitely efficient, remorseless, brutal, and sadistic, policeman and jailer.  Godless religions have invented earthly Satans: contra-revolutionaries, Jews, capitalists, communists, freemasons, etc. 

 

The two above-mentioned elements of Satan are inherent in the lore

of religions that are not strictly monotheistic, whether or not they have evolved a well-defined satanic personality.  Some recognise that Good and Bad balance in this world and accept their co-existence in a sort of eternal draw.  Some other gods are not all so good an ever-loving, so that their need for all-bad Satans is less important.  The God of the Hebrews, founders of monotheism, mostly delivers the punishment himself, and in this world and life.  Thus, the Hebrews have had no use for hell.  Ever since, in Judaism, Satan's importance is rather vague, although, possibly

under the influence of more recent religions, he hangs around somewhere in the background. So, what's the other side of the God of the Hebrews? Letting His Temple to be destroyed? His absence during the Holocaust? Or perhaps....oooops !.... I'll better stop here.

 

While the other side of religion, however unpleasant, is quite obvious 

to most people, including many believers, and, thus, relatively well,

although still insufficiently documented, the other side of science is still obscure to innocents. But this is already a subject for another essay.