The other day my ♡ and I went to this awesome music-festival. We had a great time! There was one band in particular that we enjoyed a lot: Las Cafeteras. They were awesome! The rhythm, the voices, the animated atmosphere... it was so original and positive and entertaining in such an optimistic way! We truly enjoyed every second of their performance!!
Between two songs one of the performers mentioned, that many of their friends and a big part of their community are hearing impaired, so he taught us how to 'clap' in American Sign Language (ASL). That was quite a moving moment after all the loud music and dancing and clapping there was this moment of silence and hand-waving that had a particular magic to it.
Then later he also explained what this sign means and his explanation really touched me:
"This is the sign for 'I love you'.
I love you even though I don't know who you are.
That's true solidarity! The solidarity that the world needs!"
I was really touched by this tiny philosophical and/or spiritual 'insert' that almost seemed to go unnoticed... but it made me think for days...
And it made me WONDER: What is solidarity?!
I looked up the definition of solidarity in the dictionary - actually in a couple of dictionaries to be able to compare the definitions a bit... They all sound more or less the same:
"Solidarity is a unity (as of a group or class) that produces or is based on a community of interests, objectives, and standards."
Is solidarity purely a unity in regards to common interests? If solidarity is only that, than it's too reductive, superficial... too self-oriented. Then I can only express solidarity with someone I share MY interests, MY objectives, MY standards with...
Shouldn't solidarity be more?
Shouldn't solidarity be about 'putting myself in the shoes of the other' to understand them even though I might not share their specific interests, objectives and standards?
I seems to me, that only solidarity understood in this deeper way can bring us forward in our attempt to coexist in this world. Only solidarity conceived as this selfless love can truly make us understand each others positions, enable true dialogue and allow us to truly understand the other person (or groups) interest, objectives, standards in order to be able to create a common ground.
But this common ground will not be based on the particular interests of a certain group (that maybe other groups can't share) but it will be common ground of LOVE.
Love as a selfless openness to each other: I love you even though I don't know who you are.
I love you, even though I don't know who you are.
I love you first; then I try to get to know you on the basis of this love.
Only that will allow me to get to know you without prejudice,
without trying to impose my interests and beliefs on you,
without trying to make you become who I want you to be,
without loosing interest in you even before I get to know you simply based on who I think you are...
I love you first. This gives me an enormous openness to you.
I love you so much that you can truly be who you are - unique and different from me...
I love you even though I don't understand you,
even though I might not share your views,
even though I might not agree with you,
even though I might ...
But out of love I accept you differentness.
And if you encounter me in this same attitude of love...
... then true solidarity is born:
true understanding,
true dialogue,
true compromise,
(and looking back to the dictionary definition):
true unity (that goes beyond but does not eliminate the differences)
that produces true community (now not based on common interests anymore but on love).
That is true solidarity!
I love you even though I don't know who you are.
How beautiful to find these pearls of wisdom in the midst of a crowded square filled with music and dancing on a lovely summer day... Thank you for that Las Cafeteras!
And it made me WONDER: What is solidarity?!
I looked up the definition of solidarity in the dictionary - actually in a couple of dictionaries to be able to compare the definitions a bit... They all sound more or less the same:
"Solidarity is a unity (as of a group or class) that produces or is based on a community of interests, objectives, and standards."
Is solidarity purely a unity in regards to common interests? If solidarity is only that, than it's too reductive, superficial... too self-oriented. Then I can only express solidarity with someone I share MY interests, MY objectives, MY standards with...
Shouldn't solidarity be more?
Shouldn't solidarity be about 'putting myself in the shoes of the other' to understand them even though I might not share their specific interests, objectives and standards?
I seems to me, that only solidarity understood in this deeper way can bring us forward in our attempt to coexist in this world. Only solidarity conceived as this selfless love can truly make us understand each others positions, enable true dialogue and allow us to truly understand the other person (or groups) interest, objectives, standards in order to be able to create a common ground.
But this common ground will not be based on the particular interests of a certain group (that maybe other groups can't share) but it will be common ground of LOVE.
Love as a selfless openness to each other: I love you even though I don't know who you are.
I love you, even though I don't know who you are.
I love you first; then I try to get to know you on the basis of this love.
Only that will allow me to get to know you without prejudice,
without trying to impose my interests and beliefs on you,
without trying to make you become who I want you to be,
without loosing interest in you even before I get to know you simply based on who I think you are...
I love you first. This gives me an enormous openness to you.
I love you so much that you can truly be who you are - unique and different from me...
I love you even though I don't understand you,
even though I might not share your views,
even though I might not agree with you,
even though I might ...
But out of love I accept you differentness.
And if you encounter me in this same attitude of love...
... then true solidarity is born:
true understanding,
true dialogue,
true compromise,
(and looking back to the dictionary definition):
true unity (that goes beyond but does not eliminate the differences)
that produces true community (now not based on common interests anymore but on love).
That is true solidarity!
I love you even though I don't know who you are.
How beautiful to find these pearls of wisdom in the midst of a crowded square filled with music and dancing on a lovely summer day... Thank you for that Las Cafeteras!
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