Came across a very touching video about removing labels from those we choose to love. It seems like a great time to raise this topic considering all the things that are going terribly wrong around the world at the moment. I don’t know about you but I am quite tired of hearing about discrimination left and right.

A few points that we should be thinking about:

• The reasoning behind discussing one’s color – Actually, there is no such thing. From one point to the other of the planet, we see among different races different paths of evolution and levels of education. It all criss-crosses and can be found in each of us … the thing that strikes me the most is how common racism is among highly educated people. It’s quite scary actually – how powerful stereotypes can label a person before they even get the chance to be known. I am sure many of you have seen the outrage about the Ferguson case, Paris metro racism acts and so on. Those that should understand best why bringing ‘color’ into discussion is pure nonsense are still doing it and that’s a critical point where things should change. I guess the best step forward is to stop talking about it. I will no longer be a ‘white girl’, there will no longer be ‘black, red, albino, who-knows-what-else’ colored people. It should just not be necessary to mention this in a conversation. Last time I checked I was called Oana, that should be enough to identify someone in a conversation.

• Understanding a new religion – we are surrounded by conflict caused by differences in religion and mostly because of the ways people choose to interpret what they think a religion promotes. If you take a step back, remove the different ways people choose to express their faith, rituals and customs – you are left with a handful of primary principles – peace and love for those around you, non-violence, cherish those that brought you to this world, avoiding to judge others. Also, even though maybe not mentioned in the same words, karma appears not only in Hinduism. You receive the same type of energy that you invest in the world you live in.

• Making room for all sexual orientations – as long as you can see true love between two people, why is there a problem of what their genders are? I believe this planet is pretty spacious for all of us to find our inner peace and love in the way we feel is right. I think that’s enough said.

• Be curious about other cultures … There is so much to learn from other cultures, if only you give a bit of your time to try and put yourself in the other person’s shoes. What is their history? What do they believe in? What do we have in common and how can we peacefully live together and care for each other? There might be surprising lessons out there for you to grab, you just need to keep an open mind and a dose of curiosity. Be careful though, it sometimes happens that you fall in love with the other person ;)

Unfortunately, these are not the only types of discrimination out there. I picked a few from those that people around me have been confronted with. Hope you enjoy the video I mentioned, you can find it below. I know the audience out there is quite varied so I am really looking forward to hearing your thoughts around this highly sensitive topic. Today’s post is about raising a red flag and has been written, more than any of the others, from the heart.

Yours truly,

Presi

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