One week into the Trump administration, true to his word, President Trump announced his intention of building a wall between America and Mexico at the expense of the Mexican government. Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto vigorously denounced America’s intention and in response cancelled the scheduled meeting between himself and the US President, which is already an indicator of the pending hostility between their respective countries. In addition to this, President Trump also made an announcement that he has denied access into America of any persons coming from seven Islamic countries and has built a political wall with these countries.
The ripples of these unconventional changes are astounding and frightening and has left many on the political, social, religious and militaria sphere concerned and bewildered in a state of almost disbelief in the magnitude and somewhat audaciousness of President Trump’s changes.
We are now faced with the question of how do we resolve such grand indifferences at a world that seems to be plummeting at a devastating pace, routed in indifferences.
Walls throughout history have served varying reasons and purposes. We can think of Hadrian’s Wall in England, that separated Scotland from England. We can think of the Berlin Wall that separated East Germany from the then West Germany. We can also think of the Chinese Wall that today still stands as a phenomenal monument.
Whilst walls keep people out, they also keep people in; and in keeping people in, gave space to keeping ignorance as a means of limitation.
There are famous walls in scripture, and none more so that the Jericho walls which was finally raised to the ground. History tells us that walls do not always serve the purpose they were intended, but if we are to create empathy, dialogue and understanding, there must be bridges built and not walls.
In the Bible, symbolically, sin was the wall between God and man; and when Adam and Eve fell from grace and were expelled from the Garden of Eden, we noted that God charged the angels to put a wall around it. However, what we note later, is that God provided a bridge back to Himself in the form of Jesus Christ, with a promise of John 3:16.
Isaac Newton said: We build too many walls and not enough bridges.
Today, let us not build walls of indifferences, as these block-out space for dialogue, but instead let us build bridges and let’s create room for our indifferences to be appreciated, embraced and understood, for we are all made in the image and likeness of God.