Peaceful Differences

“Our differences should then help us rather than drive us apart. In this as in other things, I, for one, believe only in differences, not uniformity, because differences are the roots without which the tree of liberty withers and the sap of creation and civilization dries up.” ― Albert Camus, Speech delivered in Algiers, January 22, 1956

A few years back I read this article in the New York Times Opinion pages https://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/01/22/making-peace-with-violence/ on the 60th anniversary of Camus making a speech in Algeria. The author, Robert Zaretsky makes some great parallels between the Algeria then and problems found now in dealing with the so called I.S. and the refugee and immigration crises around the globe. From Zaretsky, “The true rebel, while insisting on her humanity, never loses sight of the humanity of others. She resists not only her oppressors’ efforts to dehumanize her, but also her own reflex to dehumanize them in turn. Reaction, like revolution, comes easily. Both scorn limits, and instead embrace extremes.”

Camus was trying desperately to bring both sides to an agreement to not harm civilians, an effort that failed. In fact this speech had little to no effect on the situation in Algeria, and the outcomes in Algeria shortly after and during the independence movement could be considered a tragic failure all around. What he was trying to do was get people to just get along. The immigrants, the indigenous populations, all the religions and cultural groups, they were the strength of Algeria. Just as they are our strength now. As we seek to divide and polarize and dehumanize the “other” we aren’t making anything great, and certainly aren’t showing the best of ourselves by reacting every time with indignant outrage and threats of violence. This past weekend we had incidents of racially charged actions and words leading to violent actions and words rhetoric and reaction from both sides take turns for the worst, and in doing so we lost our humanity. This isn’t to say one shouldn’t rebel. That one shouldn’t stand up for what one believes in, even if it seems like or will fail. On the contrary, we need to make our voices heard, but our voices need to call for peace and an end to conflicts, shutdowns and hate speech.

I suggest you read his speech, and the article from Zaretsky. We still have much to learn from Camus, and much more to learn from mistakes made by others in the past.

For the full text of Camus’ speech, it is currently found as, “Call for a Civilian Truce in Algeria” in the Algerian Chronicles from Harvard University Press.

-DA