'Tis a sin to Kill a Mockingbird

 " 'Tis a Sin to Kill a Mockingbird." A couple of nights ago I watched “To Kill A Mockingbird,” which I haven’t seen for years. I haven’t read the book for a while either, but now I am going to reread it as soon as I get home. What a powerful and amazing movie, made possible by one of the most incredible, insightful and revolutionary novels of all time, To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee.

One amazing thing about this book and the author is that she lived the events in the book (and movie, although some artistic license was taken). It is loosely based on events that happened when she was a child. Although she won the Pulitzer Prize, she never wrote another book after this one (or at least published, who knows what will come to light after her death?). I can see why, how on earth could you top “To Kill A Mockingbird?”

We all see the world through our own filter, so as a writer who writes to process events and emotions, in my version of how she wrote the story, it began with processing things that happened when she was a child, trying to make sense of it, so she wrote it down, combining various elements into one story.  It was a story that had to be told. I am conjecturing all over the place, but I imagine someone (perhaps Truman Capote? We know he sent her to the publisher.) read what she wrote and insisted she try to get it published. She wrote it as fiction, but it’s based on real events and prejudices and speaks to people of all ages, ethnicities and ideologies.

It is truly a novel for the ages as well as a cautionary tale and a reality check; there are so many threads I could follow when writing about this book it’s hard to pick one area to concentrate on, but I’m going to try. Basically, the book is about being human, the good and the bad. If we take the book and even the movie seriously, asking ourselves, “what would I do in this situation if I were (insert character of choice here), there is a lot we can learn about ourselves. Asked and answered honestly and thoughtfully, this question can help us figure out what we do and don’t like about the answers and change what we don’t.

Wisconsin’s Repeal of Equal Pay Rights Adds to Battles for Women

by Michelle Goldberg Apr 7, 2012 4:45 AM EDT  **Headline for online news Ezine "The Daily Beast," one of many examples of prejudice alive and well in 2012.


The book puts faces and reality to the problems of race in America, as well as the strengths and weaknesses of real human beings. Although it’s been over 50 years since the events of this book unfolded, we all know that there are still huge problems and racial divides. I write this in the aftermath of the tragic shooting of a young black man whose only crime appears to be being black and wearing a hoodie in a middle class community. This happened in an area not too distant from where we are vacationing now. It is a tragedy regardless of how things are resolved, not a situation I am going to pursue right now, as I am hoping the legal system will work the way it is supposed to, however things turn out.



The KKK, while diminished in numbers, is still alive, well and busily spewing their hatred and violent rhetoric. Their primary targets are the ignorant and uneducated, which says quite a lot about the organization.



What happened? He is gay.

Race is not the only cause of prejudice and bigotry that is alive and well here in the United States in 2012, but it’s probably the most prevalent. It happens all the time and affects everyone, some peripherally, some directly and obviously.  When I see the outcome of the courtroom scene in “To Kill A Mockingbird,” it literally makes me sick. Yes, even though I know what will happen. After all, I have read the book and seen the movie multiple times. Not exactly a surprise, but the accurate portrayal of human nature at its worst makes me ill, as it does every time I read or hear on the news about something horrible human beings have done to each other.

 At the same time though, the story portrays the courage and nobility that we, as humans can and do achieve, which is inspiring and uplifting. Yes, this movie always makes me cry. I know similar situations have happened hundreds of times and still do in one way or another, just as every day, ordinary people go out of their way to do what is right.  It’s a beautiful illustration of the both the best and the worst of human nature.

Have you ever watched a nature show on the Discover Channel or PBS and seen how various animals will either abandon a runt or deformed newborn offspring or actually kill it? This also happened often in primitive tribes where survival was an everyday war. We are better than that, we should be better than that. We are all human beings. Separating ourselves by class, race, religion, sexual orientation or anything else does none of us any good. 

The tiny cub on top, it's the one squeezed out. It died.
People don't need to do this. We can do better.



Human Beings, as well as the animal kingdom, have a tendency to align ourselves by similarities and create a class system in any situation that favors the elite. We elevate those who carry whatever tendencies are seen as desirable, usually things like income, appearance and ability. The rest are disposable. In my mind, that is the antithesis of Christianity, Islam, Buddhism and every other religion I’ve had the chance to learn anything about. The urge and desire to abandon or annihilate those who are different and somehow threatening to us comes from the animal side of our nature, not the human side.  Giving in to stereotypes and hatemongering is giving in to baseness. We are better than that, or we should be. At the very least we should be trying to be better than that. That’s the difference between humans and animals; humans can think about what we’re doing and change our behavior if it’s not right.

 Bullying is receiving a lot of attention right now, as it should. No matter what name it’s called, it’s a form of prejudice and says more about the one doing the bullying than the victim. Almost everyone I know has been a victim of bullying at some time or another. Until we recognize prejudice in all its forms and refuse to let it happen it will continue.  “The only thing required for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing.” Thomas Paine (often mistakenly attributed to Edmund Burke but there is no evidence he actually ever said this).



Florence Nightingale gave up an extremely
priveleged life to help victims of war.

 

Teens who made a difference in their school when
they decided bullying wasn't ok anymore.

So how do we do it? How do we differentiate ourselves from the animal kingdom? First of all, it takes recognition. Often, it takes courage.  It takes conscious thought. It takes effort. It takes a willingness to stand out, to be counted, and to be different. Frequently, it’s hard.  Sometimes it carries penalties with those you know, love or associate with. It can cost you friends. This, though, the willingness to stand up for what is right is what determines the kind of person you really are. Sometimes, it’s not hard at all. Sometimes it’s as simple as being friendly, reaching out to someone different than you, giving someone the benefit of the doubt, being willing to be friends with someone who is different than you.

In “To Kill A Mockingbird,” Scout has a problem with getting into fights at school. Atticus tells her not to fight, but what he’s really teaching her is not to fight with her fists. Not to fight physically using force. Someone who loses a fight through physical prowess is conquered, not converted. The only way to win this particular fight is with our minds, our hearts and our actions. Only when we all recognize the humanity of those different from ourselves and recognize the ways we are the same and not different, through education and non-stop effort, will things change. Change the hearts of men and you can change the world, an idea promoted by Jesus Christ, Ghandi and Martin Luther King Jr., to name a few individuals someone might recognize.
 

Jesus Christ was all about reaching out to others.

 Watching the movie made me think. Reading the book will make me think some more. Hopefully, it will help me to become more of the person I want to be instead of settling for where I am. In the immortal words of one of the best speeches/sermons ever written, by MLK Jr., “I have a dream.” I share his dream. I hope that the world our grandchildren live in can be one not torn by the strife and divisions of prejudice, in whatever form. Ultimately, I want to like and respect the person I see in the mirror and I hope that my children and their children will be proud of the person I was, long after I'm gone. Thanks for reading.