"Indifference is camouflaged by self-interest." ~ Romeo Dallaire
An evening entitled "Indifference and the Fragility of Civilization" occurred at one of the local synagogues tonight. I debated whether or not to go as I have been so busy and feeling tired. I had heard Romeo Dallaire before and I knew I would not be disappointed, plus I was curious about Fr. Patrick Desbois whose specialty is Catholic-Jewish relationships. I am glad that I gave up an evening of reading to go and listen.
The woman who introduced the two speakers and the moderator called them heroes, righteous ones and pillars of the universe. That alone was precious to me. I feel so small in the context of these amazing agents of change.
The moderator set the tone for the evening with her opening statements. Dehumanization leads to indifference. Without a sense of compassion, we lack action and the infamous bystander effect rules. What was interesting to me was the idea, though not new, that indifference is not a passive position but a friend of the oppressor. Not to respond to the victim exiles them from humanity and with that the moderator introduced the two guests who have helped to restore humanity.
Fr. Patrick Desbois became interested in understanding indifference because of his grandfather who was a prisoner during World War II. He told the young boy that he was a prisoner but that the others had it worse. Desbois was to discover later that the others were Jews. He would eventually travel to the Ukraine and begin to interview people who were children when the massacres happened to see what they remembered. Desbois spoke of tales of every village having a person who would go ahead and seek out a place for the mass graves days before the army arrived to execute all of the Jews. He painted the image of the mass graves, and told a heartbreaking story of a young school girl whose job it was to walk on the bodies after they had been shot so that they would be compacted. Now an adult, she remembers, and tells Desbois the story of looking up, and seeing the next wave of victims who were her Jewish classmates.
Dallaire's stories are near to my heart having spent time in Rwanda and Burundi. I have heard him speak several times now and still he manages to work his way into my soul. He begins with a powerful question: why do we let human beings be destroyed? Without mincing of words, he is clear as to where he will take us. His role in the genocide is well known through the movie Hotel Rwanda; he is the real life commander of the Canadian forces that stayed, abandoned by the rest of the world. Calling the Tutsis cockroaches made it easy to destroy them. Extremists groups via the media, dehumanized a group of people, in order to expedite the mass killings.
Dallaire does not cushion his words: The American people will not intervene unless it is in their own best self-interest; they made a deliberate decision to not act. Inaction is action. Clearly some human beings are more important than others but what exactly are the criteria that determine the pecking order? Are all human beings human or not? Is there a responsibility to protect or not?
He remembers how the ex-pats crowded on to the planes leaving the country with their African artifacts, bulging suitcases, and even their dogs, but did not consider for a moment the Rwandans they were abandoning, the people who had been their friends and colleagues, who had helped raise their children in cases. Rwanda has no gold, diamonds, oil, or other interests in the world market. The only thing that was left, Dallaire says, was humans, and that did not carry the day. There was nothing to gain by anyone and so the humans were left to fend on their own. When asked why he was staying, he knew it was because if he could protect even one Tutsi, it would be worth it. Witnesses needed to remain so that the world would know what happened.
When asked how we move from being an indifferent bystander to being an upstander, each man took a moment to be optimistic. Dallaire believes that the next generation is without borders due to technology and encourages young people to get dirt on their boots from a developing country. Desbois suggests that we name the new disease. He chose to tell a story of how during a presentation that he said, "Anyone can be a victim; everyone can be a killer." A man in the audience protested. Desbois responded with, "Good for you, but me, I am not so sure." We can all be complicit. We all can wear both hats at any time. Another woman told him that she could not sleep after his talk. He was honest: "That's good. It is the beginning of consciousness." With consciousness, indifference can be rooted out.
What will your role be the next time you observe injustice? Will you be indifferent or will you be moved to action?
Peace,
Suzanne
