The paradigm of dominance
We can choose, mindfully and with compassion, to reject the stories of superiority and the paradigm of domination that demeans our fellow humans and puts our entire planet at risk.
A very dear friend of mine let me read his account of his family’s lives following the end of World War II. The stories are based on memories of his aunts, who were young girls when the war ended and they were displaced. Ethnic Germans, they lived in the eastern part of the country that was at times part of Poland, and was occupied by the Soviet (Russian) army in 1945.
The horrors the family faced as they fled war, tried to reunite, and then fled the “peace” that was Soviet occupation, are named but not described in detail in the book. This story is for the family, and they know. One aunt who is still alive knows. Anyone can understand: violence, deprivation, persecution of civilians - the currency of all war and occupation.
As the world marks one year since Russia invaded Ukraine, these stories ring with relevance. When a government and its “leader” decides territory is a commodity to be gained through violence, to fulfill some abstract idea of cultural domination or tangible ambition to control resources, people suffer. There are always “reasons” for acquiring territory by force. And these reasons always result in human misery.
The paradigm of domination inevitably leads to violence. And the narrative of superiority - of race, gender, education, wealth, etc. - feeds the paradigm of domination. If “we” are superior, then “we” have the right to control those who are inferior. Sometimes, we convince ourselves it is for “their” own good. Women, people of different ethnicities, folks who display differences, poor people - clearly they cannot govern themselves as effectively as their “superiors” can. It is an all-too-easy step from there to the justification of domination and violence.
We can see through this narrative. We can see its fundamental flaw for what it is: a rejection of the full and complex humanity of all. We can see the fear that fuels it, fear of our own vulnerabilities, limits, and failings. We can choose, mindfully and with compassion, to reject the stories of superiority and the paradigm of domination that demeans our fellow humans and puts our entire planet at risk.
Embracing the full and complex humanity of all requires us to embrace the right to self-determination of all. To defend that right, whether on the borders of Europe or the streets of an inner city or the consultation rooms in reproductive health clinics. To ensure that our human family is protected and safe, as my friend’s family found themselves, temporarily, on a farm in the British sector of Germany, and, finally, in the United States.
Thank you for sharing this journey.