There is wisdom in your story. Its something I can relate to as well. As a child moving from country to country, schools to schools... The new guy / not one of us will often start with curiosity and end up with challenged violence. However being kids, there is always those guys in school... always. Its universal, its global, its embedded in every culture. I realize as painful as it might be experienced, in a different light I see it was meant to be....it is the very steel and hammer that forged you to who you are now with the mindset tuned and body toned to influence others in ways you want the world ideal to your standards and ways of life.
In a way you create a culture of your own... you create you own circle of ideas, social behaviors, and customs among those closest to you and create change through influence. The result of it all would be a chance to be prepared for a much more effective fight or flight causality better than your own. Because through my logic it seems that they are going to disappear... if so then better know how to handle them through the experiences of the past.
As a Korean-American-married to Taiwanese with a new generation of children... to face the world without a defined culture or nationality... As hard it was in the past will not mean it will get any easier in the future. And soon enough my kids will need to face "those guys" in thier reality. The difference in that time would be that I will have the magic purple thread supercharged and made into an entire shirt than just holding a button... evolve mums methods...
Pain seems to be a valuable experience for humans to know how not to experience the same to others through owns influence.
Its rather difficult for me to explain but if I say it in a rough way~ Is... people like Martin Luther King had a dream and vision of how the world was to become... his influence contributed to a world that its became today. Is it perfect? No... not at all. However his influence was able to change the very thinking to everyone that racism is no good for everyone. That was not possible to think of in peoples brain back then.... as dumb as it may sound today.
I think you have built an ethical standard which kinda speaks for itself dont you think? :) It influences one by one...
Ahhhh... too much thoughts. Great read man... Thanks for sharing a part of your personal life which is not easy to share. Your much stronger than you think... At least I can read it through your context in your stories.
Being brown in an Australia that was only just a few years post White Australia Policy, and living in a small rural town taught me many lessons, and caused me to work hard at my own ethical standards which, I might add, I uphold to this day. My experiences, whilst as a child were quite hurtful, have made me a rather hard person now; resilient, resolute and able to act as I see fit, under the framework of honour and integrity as I see it, as I say in this post. That's not to say I don't have a softer side, though of course, like most people.
I've done things in life that punished bad actors and in so doing I applied my ethical standard, and other elements, to affect it and I'm not one to be swayed from the course, certainly not from vitriolic name-callers; indeed, that sort of behaviour strengthens my resolve.
Racism doesn't sit well with me and I'm not at all racist; it's the individual who speaks for himself/herself with deeds and voice and it's the individual who will be weighed and measured. Mistaking me for someone who won't act though, is a mistake.
Being called a Nazi, anti-Semitic, racist and white supremist is never going to sit well with me, due to my cultural background, experiences and ethos and I'll not find it in my heart, the softer side of me, to forgive such unfounded slander.
You said this and spoke truly...and, in truth, I know it. Mistaking anything in me for weakness of character is a mistake.
I think you understand a little more now and certainly I can imagine your experiences to have ben the same or similar in nature to mine. Children can be cruel, as can adults. I'm one who is ok in punishing those who are cruel needlessly...and still make it home to cuddle my beloved cat and build Lego.