Live and let live

There are a number of expressions that, through use or abuse, have lost their original impact and become mere clichés, emptied of all meaning.

One of these is ‘live and let live’. It is now a throw away phrase, conjuring up little more than  a hippyesque passivity bordering on the ‘who cares?’

It is time we rebooted the term.

After the homophobic brutality of the Orlando massacre, with its Trumped up backlash of Islamophobia, after the mindless attacks on university campus, Parisian discotheques, European trains, Middle Eastern States, international flights…. The list is unfortunately too extensive to document here.

Live and let live. It is such basically human wisdom. We are gregarious; we thrive on co-operation and mutual benefit. Peaceful co-existence is essential to our well-being, and cultural diversity, like genetic diversity, is a strength, not a weakness.

Why do we get so upset by our neighbours’ likes and dislikes, their dress sense, their attitudes? Does it matter what an adult person does in his or her bedroom, is it anybody’s business but their own? How can the fact that there are Muslims and Jews ruffle the feathers of Catholics and Protestants? Long hair, short skirts, veils, camouflage suits… 

Take a look at London, that huge cosmopolitan microcosm, and see how tolerance and respect allow people of all types to live parallel lives. Not in perfect harmony, clearly not, but certainly not at each others' throats.

Live and let live. It is an expression devoid of religious or political overtones. It is Human experience and knowledge, learnt the hard way, and turned into an excellent piece of advice.

There is no one Truth, everybody has their own. There is no reason to suppose that one person’s idea of heaven on earth is superior to anyone else’s. The minute we realise that and stop trying to impose our wills on others, the blood will cease to flow with such startling regularity.

Live and let live.