There's an elaborate hierarchy of virtues that we have to follow, and the more vigorously we follow them, the purer we are in the eyes of everybody. Additionally, there's relativism that we have to adhere to. We have to understand that violence is bad, but only when applied by the wrong people. It's all right to riot and loot as long as it's done for the right reasons. We have to forgive the looters. They are only acting naturally, considering the great evils that have been perpetrated on them by others.
Finally, we have to understand that things far away are just as important as things that are near. Even if we experience no oppression ourselves, and see few signs of racism in our immediate circles, we must take a stand. To do otherwise would be to deny the existence of evil in the world.
All of this leads necessarily to many inconsistencies and much confusion, which is perfect for politicians and other would be rulers who now define virtues and evils more or less at will. However, it's genuinely painful for the average person that gets sucked into this. For example, what is my step-daughter to make of the assertion that Portugal, and especially Guimarães, is riddled with racist hate? Her second cousin is both black and a successful medical doctor in Guimarães. It's far from clear that racism has played an adverse role in his education or professional life.
Sure, Dr. Mario has plenty of funny anecdotes where people have expressed surprise at his appearance. "I didn't expect a big black guy to be my doctor," is a common reaction. But his clients keep coming back. Hardly anyone cares about Dr. Mario's skin color. He's a nice guy and he knows his stuff. That's all that matters to most people.
Yet my step-daughter is expected to denounce Guimarães as a terribly racist place, despite a lack of immediate evidence. She's also expected to show sympathy towards looters and generally partake in all sorts of virtue signalling. Heart strings are being pulled to make her show her color. So, what is she to do?
The answer to this is to be found in the golden rule, and the Christian doctrine of original sin. We shouldn't concern ourselves too much about what others do, and we have to accept that we're not perfect. We all make mistakes. But as long as we do our best to do good in our own lives, we have nothing to be ashamed of.
It's what we do and say in our immediate social circles that matter. We cannot change things far away. Protesting outside a government building in Lisbon will do nothing to save black lives anywhere, least of all in far off places like Chicago. But being a decent human being in our everyday lives does make a difference. It's that easy.
My advice to my step-daughter is simple. Follow the golden rule, and don't worry about making the odd mistake yourself. As long as we genuinely regret any missteps, we will be forgiven by fellow good people. She needs to do nothing more than being the good Catholic girl that she was brought up to be. Excessive introspection as well as excessive virtue signalling leads us nowhere. Constantly chasing perfection is a road to misery.
What matters in the end is life itself, and that's never lived at a distance. We live our lives in the immediate vicinity of others, and it's only in our direct interactions with others that we have any influence on the world. As long as we are good, and don't worry about the odd mistake by ourselves or others, we'll live full and happy lives. If we want to spread this love, encourage others to do the same, and we'll have the further satisfaction of seeing our love spread out in ever wider circles.
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