Race and the act of liberation...

I have tried to eliminate any racial divisions that may be present in my life. I am a product of an inter racial marriage and have had many relationships that were cross cultural. I have always had friends from many backgrounds. I believed myself to be 'black' as this is the community that I grew up in. They are predominantly who I relate to but not exclusively. I went through my identity crisis attempting to prove this 'blackness ' beyond everything else often being wounded by the fact that I could never fit in completely. I try to get along with everyone irrespective of what perspective the person is from. It is sad when these divisions causes a rift whether in potential relationships or other wise. I come across this often here and am disappointed that this may ultimately be the reason why some fail. It is sad and ridiculous that we still exist in such divisions in today's world. I have transcended them so am taken off guard when this happens. The concept of 'oneness' is that there are no divisions and we are all related within the human family. These divisive lines do exist though and it is wise to remember that there are some who have not progressed beyond this point. Although in the Bahamas there have been many strides toward eradicating these racial and cultural divisions, there is still a huge gap between white community and the black. I know this to be indicative of the people here as I have many friends from other countries who are white or other but find it difficult to foster these types of relationships in the Bahamas. It can get very political for me and people can be damned right nasty about the entire thing. It is extraordinarily limiting in terms of every body's potential with both communities existing in this stasis. There are some who just feel more comfortable with someone like themselves or are more attracted to them. It is natural I suppose but color truly is only 'skin deep' and everything else is merely patterns learnt. After having been away for such a long time I forget how these divides have historically and politically kept us distant from one another. It is a product I believe of our colonial past where the lines have been clearly cut. It is hard getting used to this all over again as these prejudices still exist here and people are marginalized because of it -each race as guilty as the other. The walk toward Buddhism promises another reality for me rather than to repeat these obnoxious patterns of behavior. It is learning to foster proper responsible relationships built on equality and the humanness of our connectedness. It is far too easy to pretend here while we hold onto our fears and ideas of superiority over the other. True liberation requires removing these lines but for those who continue to fear and live life according to them, then it is necessary to just let them be. Human beings are naturally tribal animals but it is good to remember if I am your enemy then it is my hand you need to complete your spiritual path and if you be interested in someone, please do not let a minor thing as race get in the way as there may be great happiness waiting for you. With regards to Buddhism, I repeat that I only wish to take what I can from it as I believe there are many truths in many things and many paths. It may still come across as a little bit of this and that...peace and may it be with love....