Unfortunately, intolerance towards what is different has been present throughout history and at the moment. In an unknown situation or one that we are not used to, we build fear in an attempt to protect our stability. In this way, what separates a group from another or what makes an individual stand out from others for being different, may sometimes come up with disdain, repulsion or even hate.
A few years ago I studied in literature class a novel that reminds me to this lack of understanding between society and the individual. The Metamorphosis, written by Franz Kafka, describes the mutation of Gregor Samsa into a bug, physical from the very first page and mental as the story proceeds, from his point of view. Through the narrative we follow, he goes through metamorphosis as he loses his eyesight as well as human social abilities such as language skills, and as he dehumanizes his behavior by hanging from the ceiling.
The author, who was a sickly person, with familiar problems, and part of social minorities, had various discussions with the editors about how the cover of the book should look like, because he tried to defend that the meaning of the book was not the bug, but the individual against society. That is why I think that Kafka intended to make us think about the lack of understanding that society develops towards people who are different, using Gregor’s transformation as a metaphor.
The only way to overcome this lack of understanding is through communication, awareness and empathy. That is the reason why I think this blog is important to promote mental health awareness and overcome the stigma, since here you can find different topics and advices that aim to make you feel safe and comfortable discussing the topic. In this way, we can defeat intolerance towards what is different by creating an open-minded and respectful environment.
Written by Miriam Wagner Valladolid