For the most part, it is very difficult to come to a unanimous decision as our whims, morals and identities are idiosyncratic. One would then assume that: (1) we should make decisions based on the majority – this utilitarian approach poses its own problems such as minority rights and positive discrimination; (2) we can only reach unanimity under a shared values system – this approach leans closely towards objectivity, which again poses its own problems such as irrational objectors and moral dilemmas.

But even though I currently advocate a philosophy of wabi-sabi, I am unconvinced that we should live lives of disunity. I see no reason as to why we can't unite humanity.

A common adage is that we can't understand someone until we walk in their shoes, however, murdering a few people is not only a bad solution but is also very unlikely to allow oneself to empathize with a serial killer. We must face the fact: empathy is a myth. Even identical twins do not fully understand one another. So where does that leave us with unity?

Do we have to fully comprehend one another to unify?

No, or at least I don't believe so. I believe that what truly constitutes unity is tolerance. We must understand that we can never fully understand each other but that does not mean all is lost. We must overcome our judgement but not become overly lenient either. Thus comes the contradiction: we must tolerate others yet also restrict them. It does no good if we allow a rapist to go free just because their minds are built differently. Indeed we cannot condemn a rapist as they did not choose to be born as one and did not choose to grow up in circumstances that influenced them to become one. Therefore, we must tolerate their existence, yet also coerce them into forcing them not to rape.

Unity is thus not liberty but a restricted freedom. One cannot have their cake and eat it too. To be unified we must live under a yoke, but that is not a bad thing. After all, if there is no box to live within, how would we ever learn to think outside of it? Paradoxically, limits don't limit us but instead act as a stepping stone to the next limit. They are a guide which we must be grateful for.

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Edit: Mar 11th 2021

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