Hey folks, so this is my second post on Publish0x, but it's my first non-crypto post. As mentioned in my first post, I'm new to the crypto game and writing about that is tricky.

So, writing about everything outside of crypto should be a piece of cake? (All opinions are my own, please take them for what they are: opinions. Nothing more, nothing less. We all have them. They're not necessarily facts!)

I'm VaKnow22, not my real name, of course, its a school nickname, real name is Rhys. Anyway, I'm a Welshman, I'm in to sports, history, politics, sci-fi, nature and the environment, everything really. I enjoy learning, so aside from my venture in to learning all things cryptocurrency, I'm also learning French (Salutations France!).

My first non-crypto post is on the topic of The World. Pretty broad topic, covers most things! In particular I wanted to write about the idea of tolerance and how that links in to my world view. (remember, these are just my opinions!).

So, I'll start with the fact that we all know the world to be a beautiful place, which we are all citizens of. Regardless of nationality, race, gender, sexual orientation, religion or any other label, we are all humans and presumably, Earthlings! Yet, despite this common ancestry and despite the fact that, albeit distantly, we are all related to each other, we are a divided species. If you trace any family tree back far enough you hit Mitochondrial Eve - 'the mother of all humans', the most recent common matrilineal ancestor (there's also a common Y-Chromosomal Adam tracing back the male lineage). Now, without delving into the science of who this common ancestor is, and there is a lot of scientific discussion about that, (which I'll leave to the experts), the point that matters is that we are all related by a common ancestor. Distantly, but definitely related.

Mark Humphreys, (https://humphrysfamilytree.com/ca.html) does the mathematics behind this theory and shows that most Western people all share a common ancestor in the French King Charlemagne (died 814AD). He says almost everyone in the world descends from Confucius (died 479BC). And that the Entire world is likely to descend from the Ancient Egyptian Royal House of 2000BC. (If you're interested, please visit Mark's website for some even more interesting facts and research on the topic of genealogy).

Now that the point is thoroughly made, why is it that we wage wars against our cousins from other lands?

I always think of the south Wales football derby between Cardiff City and Swansea City. On a Saturday afternoon they'll be bitter enemies. Until the following week, when Wales play against England; at that point they are no longer enemies, but close friends and allies. Then, as seen at the Euro 2016 tournament, when the Russian fans arrived, the Welsh and English fans grouped together to confront the larger threat!

It's so easy to organise a group of people to unite with each other when there is the perceived fear of a larger threat. We see this in Ukraine currently. How is Putin able to justify invading a sovereign nation? He tells his citizens via state television that Ukraine are a threat, they are capable of biological and chemical weapons (this hasn't been verified as true by any independent bodies); he tells them that they will join NATO, which is a threat to Russia. The West is guilty of this to an extent too. How many Russian characters fill the role of bad guys in films? As the divide between Russia and the West has grown, so the links between the two populations has waned, and how much easier it is to portray the other as a threat to 'our' people. Our perception of Russia isn't the true Russia. It is the country that is run by Putin and his cronies, who in a battle for control will seemingly do anything to maintain that power. Russia is home to some of the finest authors, artists, scientists and people. We must not forget this. Unfortunately, there's little appetite for the western media outlets in recent years to highlight the fascinating culture that lies in Russia.

What is the answer? Well, tolerance is a start. On its own, that is just a banal platitude. It doesn't do anything. We need to embrace it. We need to believe it. When we are at a club football match chanting at the away fans, do we really hate them? Indeed, we might even be sharing a drink with them at the national match next week? We have been indoctrinated for too long that we ought to be cautious of foreigners, to trust them at your own peril. Why? It's all about control. Control from governments and from other giant corporations. Are all Muslims terrorists? NO. Do some terrorists identify as Muslim, yes. That is a big difference. Enormous. I'm a Welshman who loves ice hockey. Does that mean all Welshmen love ice hockey? Certainly not! (they definitely don't!).

Yet, time and again we see news reports identifying some sort of attack as being perpetrated by Muslim extremists/terrorists. The narrative needs to change. Islam is one of the most peaceful religions, and the Koran contains some of the most beautiful writings ever written. Just because some individuals use it as a conduit to carry out despicable acts, it is unfair to label ALL Muslims the world over with the same name. But its an easy newspaper to sell - it's scary, these outsiders who we know little about are out to get us and want to change 'our nation', 'our heritage', how dare they!? They really aren't. The Russian army is struggling to Occupy Ukraine. Do you really think a handful of migrants crossing the English Channel to seek refuge is going to fundamentally change the way we live? Absolutely not. But again, that fear is enough to make sensible people err on the side of caution. Which only grows the xenophobic divide and crucially keeps certain individuals in power, whether it be in government or in the media. Which in turn maintains the status quo. Returning to the Ukraine invasion. There are plenty of Russians who disagree with the war, some who have no access to anything resembling a free and impartial news outlet. It is not Russia's war. It is Putin's, and like any criminal he should (and hopefully will) face criminal charges. Then be granted the right to a fair trial.

Tolerance is not just about 'putting up' with things you don't understand. It's admitting that you don't understand things, it's admitting that things frighten you. It's admitting there are things you do differently. It's understanding that certain people have different needs, and that's ok. It's about opening lines of dialogue and being curious. It means being able to forgive. It doesn't mean using labels and using fear to eliminate the problem by force; to rally your tribe against your neighbours' tribe. The Israel/Palestine conflict is a fair example of this. Whichever side you speak to, it is clear that the other side 'started' it, therefore a retaliation is necessary and justifiable (excuse the over-simplification of an extremely complex situation). There has been conflict in that region for hundreds of years based on that premise. I'm not saying I have the answer to peace in the middle east. I wouldn't be sat here if I did. However, I am saying that tolerance would go a long way on both sides. The tragedies of the past have happened and can't be changed. But the real tragedy is that the conflict will rumble on for another few hundred years unless both sides can show signs of tolerance and find some common ground on what both sides need. In the meantime who are the casualties? The innocent citizens with little control over the situation.

Tolerance is about finding common interests. This is easy, common ancestry aside, we all share a need, a human right, to shelter, food, water. These are covered by the Human Rights Act (https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/law-and-courts/civil-rights/human-rights/what-rights-are-protected-under-the-human-rights-act/). It's the realisation that every single human-being just wants these basic necessities of life. The problem is that these rights are forgotten. When we see news clips of refugees fleeing from war torn countries, there will always be right wing politicians and supporters who tell us we need to shut the borders, that they are all free-loading criminals, trying to enter the country illegally to pursue nefarious objectives or to steal our jobs and to fleece the welfare system. Are you serious?! They are humans. Scared humans. Who have lost everything. How, at someone's greatest time of need, can we be so judgmental? There for the grace of God goes any one of us. If you flip it, and you avoid the dehumanising language, and you realise that these people don't want to move to a foreign land, they have to. That they've sacrificed everything to get here, most people's stances soften. If you ask someone, 'what would you do if you were in their shoes?', it is impossible for anyone to answer anything other than, 'I'd be taking my family to the other side of the world to see them safe', or, 'I'd be doing the same'. 

And there you have it! That is what tolerance is. It's knowing that despite language barriers, or cultural barriers, we have the same needs. That despite our circumstances being completely different, we are the same. We're cousins after all. That we'd be acting in the same way. At the deepest part of our being, we just want fairness and those basic human rights.

I sometimes wonder what it would take for us to finally realise our commonalities with our cousins from distant lands. Unfortunately, until we all learn how to be truly tolerant, it'd take an alien invasion. Only then would us Earthlings be united, but it'd require fear and a much larger threat! Hopefully, I'm wrong about that.

Thanks for reading. Again, as mentioned above - these are just my opinions. Feel free to comment if you spot any mistakes or corrections, just remember to be constructive. Also feel free to suggest any other topics you'd like me to write about. My next post will be part of my crypto blog and will continue this theme of tolerance, fairness and where crypto fits into this belief system.