Consider that Handel’s Messiah is among the greatest choral works ever composed. So too is Bach’s Mass in B-Minor. Yet neither of these works would exist were it not for somebody inspired by Jesus. This does not (or at least should not) subtract from the brilliance, the beauty, and the majesty of these great works of music.
I am reading this while the BLM movement and the protests that fight against racial injustice are stronger than ever. And I am thinking about the statues some of the protesters topple and the changes some brands and institutions make to mark they arepolitically correct and socially responsible. Those statues most likely do not deserve to be venerated as they are and should be moved. The problem is we, as a whole, appear to disregard the ambivalence of a lot of events and people, most of which are both good and bad. Christianity was used to start wars, forcibly convert entire societies and get rid of their cultural heritage, kill and torture people. At the same time, Christianity served as inspiration and breeding ground for countless works of art and people trying to be better and kinder. This duality is an example of many more. A lot of wealth was built on oppressing other people. It’s tragic, it’s sad, but it’s something we should use as a cautionary tool, not as an excuse to rewrite history and place the blame on entire groups of modern people, most of them having nothing to do with events long passed. Making peace with this duality and accepting our shortcomings as humans and as a society is more important, in the end, than just simply removing statues. As long as we don’t make peace, don’t process and accept our own imperfection and our own shortcomings as an inevitable parts of life, there is constant frustration and guilt-placing. And we keep perpetuating a constant cycle of self-destroying tactics, of self-sabotaging. As a society, we need to make amends and have a open eye and ongoing conversation.
