From politics to sport, let's all be kinder, says Doncaster writer Lisa Fouweather

"Join us to escape from the illusion and learn the truth,” they [systems of oppression] say, all the while they laugh at our naivety as they take us deeper into the illusion, (the illusion that we are in control as we are told time and time again by those who are controlling us).

From politics to sports, we're constantly taking sides, upholding division in society through our steadfast approach when it comes to viewing life through an 'us vs them' dynamic, where so few of us question why we are constantly fighting amongst ourselves.

Instead of questioning the status quo, we think that this is 'just the way things are'/'just the way that things have always been', (but it's not, It doesn't have to be this way), and so division and conflict and hate (why is there always so much hate?) continues.

Consider politics. We're either on the left or the right, fighting amongst ourselves through petty games of party politics as the general election nears, chanting 'f*** the Tories' at the boys in blue, as though to be divided is a natural component of life.

But if war breaks out, such party politics dissipates, as we see happening in wars around the world where countries are united by a common goal: to beat the enemy.

We saw it happening in the pandemic too, the 'enemy' being COVID-19 where, at 8 pm every Thursday, we would all take to our doorsteps to clap for carers, joining in regardless of our political stance with the recognition that the 'us vs them' dynamic that we have spent our whole life believing to be 'just the way things are', isn't just the way things are at all, but more so the symptom of a sick society (a sick society that, with enough nurturing and tending to, can be made better).

It happens in politics and it happens in sport.

In football, for example, Sunday league, we take sides, even in the same city sometimes, Sheffield Wednesday v Sheffield United, Manchester City v Manchester United, etc etc.

But in international events, the Euros, for example, we all come together to support England, clinking glasses and singing Three Lions alongside the very same people who we were shouting obscenities at last week during half-time.

What more evidence do we need than this to see that being in constant conflict isn't 'just the way things are'/that division is not a necessary component of society?

When wars over land and money become meaningless, and conflicts over race and class and sexuality and gender are rendered void, in our oneness, division cannot exist, the illusory nature of our differences becoming heightened when we realise that an attack on one is an attack on everyone.

Political differences aside, when we have something bigger than ourselves at stake, we forget our differences and we come together, in solidarity, as one.