Kristus Aman Youth Ministry.

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Our Caste System

I was reading about the Dalit (pronounced doll-leet) recently. For thousands of years in India, among the different castes, the Dalit have been the lowest, formerly known as untouchable. Today, although the Indian constitution guarantees fundamental rights for all Indians, the Dalit continue to be oppressed -- the effect of a culture that has existed for literally ages. The Dalit are not considered to be part of human society, and supposedly pollute people of higher castes with their presence. As a result of discrimination, many Dalit are deprived of the most basic of human rights, and their dignity remains unrecognized by many. Currently, there exists in India a struggle for equality.

Reading and thinking about the Dalit, I was led to wonder...

What castes have we put up? What caste divisions do we agree with, whether explicitly, or as implied by our lifestyle and mentality?

In the Philippines, I hear a lot about socio-economic division, denoted by the letters A, B, C, D & E. I try not to figure out where I fit in because it shouldn't be all that important, right? But the truth is, sometimes I do give it importance. I've noticed that because I dress a certain way and speak decent English with a particular accent, people assume that I'm from a richer class. This isn't something I necessarily like. It works to my advantage in some situations, getting me past tight security guards or out of situations when people are trying to con me. People at malls and hotels respect me for the most part, and I feel confidence when I stand in front of important people. I can converse with people and not feel shy about my occupation. Some people might even like me more. But on the converse, the appearance of affluence can be to my disadvantage. I've been to places where I was judged because of how I dress and speak, even when I possessed the purest of intentions.

The point is, we do have castes. And what is dangerous is that they aren't institutionalized. They are invisible. They are cultural. We may not be as extreme or discriminating as others might be. But in many ways, we have erected barriers and limitations to the extent of our love and respect. There are certain jobs and paychecks that supposedly carry more dignity. Certain schools are "more acceptable" than others (this is not to say that standards of excellence should go out the window; but respect can never be thrown out). In our minds, some neighborhoods aren't just nicer, they are better. And lets not get into the cliche of talking cars, clothes and cellphones. And if it's not a material issue, the issue is cultural: the East Coast vs West Coast rap wars. Rich vs Poor. Young vs Old. Cheap vs Classy. Manila vs Cebu (!).

And here's another thought: I don't know if it's just me, but sometimes we're more discriminating towards people who are not "far" from us. We're annoyed most with people who are almost like us, but aren't. They try to be as cool, they try to be as rich, they try to be as funny, but fall short of our standards. And so we hold onto that for security.

When our mentality becomes an exclusive one, we move out of the culture of the Kingdom of God. It's been said that the Church exists for those outside it. It would do us a lot of good if we Christians ran with this truth in every area of life. Not just in the context of Christianity and non-Christianity, but in every respect. A ghetto mentality breeds disconnect and disrespect which bears fruit in other evils. Our pride is the reservoir of sin (see Sirach 10). And sin sure knows how to procreate.

So, may we examine how we think of people who are unlike us. Let us dismantle the social castes and lifestyle imaginations that hold us prisoner and inhibit us from loving our neighbor. May we recognize that dignity is fundamental and cannot be taken from anyone who has been made in the image and likeness of God.

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