Words by

Snorri Ásmundsson

Photo by

The Reykjavík Grapevine Archives

Let us move away from “for or against” debates

The world is suffering the consequences of unresolved trauma with terrifying outcomes — outcomes that don’t have to be terrifying because it is possible to work through them with love and kindness. The public discourse reflected on social media has lacked both vocabulary and deep understanding. People are categorised and divided by gender, gender identities, sexual orientation, and religion, and conversations are often dragged into a “for or against” rhetoric full of oppression and violence. 

Narcissism has been highly popular and dominant in recent years, but the selfie generation is in decline, and we are waking up — after all, the noise has been loud and overwhelming. The injustice and cruelty associated with narcissism are coming to light. Mass murders of children were normalised, and the warlords have had a stranglehold on the media through ownership, bribery, or coercion. 

Iceland is a small nation, and we have room to receive many more refugees, but the discourse — fueled by fear and damnation — paints a very particular picture of the reality for people who don’t have much to protect. Islamophobia is clearly visible, and immigration is a hot topic. The loudest and most aggressive groups in the debate are not supportive of immigrants, labelling them as criminals. Yet the majority of these harshly judgmental groups seem to include convicted individuals themselves or people who belong to other marginalised groups. Fear controls the people, and those who want to control others will exploit that.  

The rhetoric is oversimplified, completely lacking in depth, and reduced to binary “for or against” questions, with issues often discussed in black-and-white terms. We are, of course, different — coming from different circumstances, with varying gifts, and carrying different traumas. I can understand people’s fear and judgment, but today we can no longer afford them.  

The world needs as much love and tolerance as can be found. We must not let the bullies and abusers break us down with fear-mongering and deception. Anxiety about world affairs and fear that everything is heading toward disaster is a tool of control used by those who crave power. Greed and power-hunger are deadly sins that always end in unhappiness and lack. But they, too, are symptoms of suffering and unhappiness.  

I don’t wish to quote any religion, but we can find wisdom and compassion in all of them, even if they are sometimes used as tools of control, wielded with ill intent to subdue the masses. Still, we all have access to love, kindness, and tolerance — in our DNA and in our hearts. Let’s open our minds and hearts to positive transformation. Let’s find humility so we can change for the better and stop judging each other. 

Let’s stop dividing ourselves in any way other than recognising that we are all inhabitants of this Earth and each other’s neighbours. We don’t own the Earth — we are just guests here, and we are all equally welcome. We are also all equally necessary, each of us a cog in the clockwork of life, and all cogs are needed to keep the clock ticking. 

Now, let’s take a breath before we slam the gavel down on the table. Throw the gavel in the trash and smile at our neighbour. Thank you for reading, and I wish you all the very best.