Every human is unique. Every life is different. Every person makes a mark. In recent weeks there has been a video clip doing the social media rounds playing a shortened variation of the longer Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech of the late, great Catholic, John Hume, former leader of the SDLP. He led a party whose policies often dishearten me, but there is no doubt that Hume will be remembered for his tireless work on the Northern Ireland peace process. He remained categorically opposed to violence and promoted cross-community outreach. We have “more in common” than our biases and prejudices suggest. Here are the words from the clip of one of his key philosophies:
All conflict is about the same thing
No matter where it is
It’s about difference
Whether difference is your religion
Or your race
Or your nationality
And the message that we have to get across
And that we have learned in our part of the world
Is that difference is an accident of birth
None of us chose to be born
And we certainly didn’t choose to be born into any particular community
There’s not two people in this hall who are the same
There’s not two people in the whole world who are the same
Difference is of the essence of humanity
And therefore respect for difference
Should be very very normal and very common
But it is the first and deepest principle
Of real peace.
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