Theme
The theme for this episode is Stigma.
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My Haiku & Reflections
A mark placed upon thee
So all may know your blemish
Visible justice
In ancient Greece, a stigma was a literal mark — either burned or tattooed — on the skin to mark those who were slaves, criminals, or traitors.
Today, few may practice this physical marking of a stigma, but a non-physical, metaphorical practice still happens.
Both are the act of something being placed upon you from an external source with the intention of carrying out justice. The goal is to right a wrong, but the opposite is true: a wrong is created.
It’s not the visible justice we think it is. Quite the opposite. It’s an invisible injustice that only leaves our fellow humans in vulnerable positions. And when one of us is vulnerable, all of us are vulnerable.
Stigmatizing others is a form of human tribalism. In our modern world where we know and understand the human psyche better than our ancestors, this tactic does not serve the interests of the victim nor that of the perpetrator.
We are communal creatures that rely on each other to survive. We have to remember it is our compassion and cooperation that will help build a stable society, not stigmatization. This seems more crucial now more than ever because of the global reach of our society; we’re not only affecting our own stability but that of the entire planet’s ecosystem. We must — and we can — do better.
That’s the lesson I take from this haiku. What lessons have you learned from stigma? As always, you can send your thoughts to thehaikupond (at) gmail (dot) com.
Featured Haiku & Poets
From Melody Wang on TW & IG as MelodyOfMusings:
discharged from the ward,
I view the world with new eyes
seeking what I’ve lost
From Linda M. Crate on Twitter as thysilverdoe & on IG as authorlindamcrate:
when shamed for something
you cannot control or stop
becomes exhausting.
From Mark Hitri on TW as HitriMark & on IG as the_cellopoet:
one day I will break
but before that day arrives
I will get stronger
From Charissa Hooyman on TW as CharissaHooyman:
Hate causes some lies
Wanting to destroy others
Characters ruined
From Haiku Nocturnal on Twitter as HaikuNocturnal:
Prohibited love;
How can people be against
Two happy people?
From Mona Bedi:
gerascophobia
the facial fillers
fail to help
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