Celebrated and famous psychologist Sigmund Freud once said that the greatest motivator of humankind and human behavior is fear. And it never ceases to amaze me how society embraces upon this concept, albeit somewhat unconsciously.

Everday, we pass judgement on someone, even if we do not even know whom he or she is actually like. You know the feeling; you may not even have to be actually seeing the person, but only hearing a story from a friend or a rumour that is spreading widely, or maybe even what they might have written.

Now, of course, many people will say here that they aren't prejudiced at all; a load of crap, if you ask me. We are naturally born to judge what we like and what we do not. It is something that we gain through the experiences in our lives and/or influences from exposure to outside forces. We cannot help it, since it is ingrained in us somewhat instinctively to discriminate. One such case is the classic fire exampe - when you were a small child, and your guardian told you not to touch the fire, whether it is the flame on the stove or anything else, what was the first thing you did? You touched it. And you got burnt. What happened? You learned not to touch the fire again. Why? You'd get hurt. But you don't want to get hurt, so? Don't touch the fire.

These experiences - ones that are essentially traced back to the concept of fear - shape us. No doubt we all have had similar experiences other than the example I used to make this point. I myself happen to be prejudiced against celery. Greatly against celery. That, is the result of force-feeding from "the parents" when I was a child and could not think for myself. Thus, I developed what you might call a "mental-allergy" towards celery. In the end, what did I learn? Celery equals torture, for it was what I had deemed the consumption of it to be. That interesting little experince I had not only influenced, but also fueled my dislike.

But I think we can all agree that those prejudices are otherwise harmless, even essential to the basic fabrics of an individaul. If not, then we would probably be wondering why putting our hands in the fire burns all the time and continue with said activity.

However, it is when prejudice is used to purposely hurt or damage is it harmful. It has been done over the centuries and millennia of human consciousness. Let's imagine a small child falls down in the typical mind-numbingly normal park and begins to cry, but their mother isn't paying attention. A teenager goes to help the child up, possibly stopping its crying, having only good intentions in mind. But this teenager has a bad reputation in the neighbourhood, isn't very well-known outside of rumour, whose clothing isn't exactly within acceptable standards and is seen as more than a little odd. What happens? The child's mother immediately comes into the situation and starts on the teenager, as if they were the cause. Thus, the teenager is left being falsely blamed for something he didn't do. All because he was immediately judged by ignorant others from second hand rumours and apperances.

It isn't just on a local level either, but it is particularly glaring in the larger perspective of the world, especially in recent times. Prejudice was one of the major elements of the rise of Adolf Hitler of Nazi Germany and his discriminating views killed millions of innocent lives - those that he detested and thought unworthy, and those who were trying to fight back for freedom. Segregation was also a large problem within American culture until it was outlawed in the mid-sixties; those of African descent separated from the whites in all facets of public society. Apartheid in South Africa supported the whites of that country, 20% of that nation's people. British history deals with India, where the untouchables were the lowes of the low and barely even allowed into town. Even in our so-called beautiful country of Aotearoa, Pakeha look upon Maori with disdain, let along all the other ethnic groups. Better yet, throughtout history women had been looked down upon as subordinate to men.

It took inspirational leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela, Mahatmas Ghandhi, and the lives of numerous others to alert us to the way we were inhumanly treating those around us. But just because we were alerted, it certainly hasn't meant that anything has changed, let along done about it. We see it all the time, whether we tolerate it, disapprove of it, are part of it, or are victims of it.

But what motivates this behavior though? Is it some fear of inferiorority and inadequacy? Why do we do this? Certainly, I doubt people living in a civilized society actually want to inflict pain purposely towards others. Is it a fear for our own safety that motivates us to discriminate against others - for us to feel safe by holding power over others, using whichever way possible?

I wouldn't know. As you can probably judge, I am not a psychologist and certainly not Freud.

The reason that I've been so concerned over this issue is not merely the fact that though I have lived in New Zealand for the better of my life, having been educated by this society, I still encounter prejudices towards me through racism and certain social attitudes, but more so with current events across this world. Everyone is at war it seems with one another, no matter if the opposition deserves it or not.

Although it is officially September 12th in New Zealand, America is almost a day behind, making today the fifth anniversary for the attack on 9/11. Shitting you not, I cried. To be more accurate, I wept. The world saw the worst side of humankind this day, yet also the best. The question is, why did it happen, and to what point in time shall the pain be ever smoothed away?

For Osama Bin Laden, America is the pinnacle of evil - it evokes a feeling among many countries within the eastern circuit of this world as a warmongering capitalist force, symbolic of satan. Middle East hates America, China hate America, I know for a fact that the Japanese only bow because US rebuilt its country, and I'm sure many Vietnamese still hold a grudge. I have read of articles published online by university students within Chinese borders, that said they were filled with glee when they heard of the 9/11 event. All due to prejudices set decades back, sins committed on both sides by dead fathers who we shall never know.

I'm most certainly not a worshipper of American society, yet nor am I a sadistical bastard that has nothing better to do with my time. Today I remember the lives lost at ground zero, and for those men and women that did not have a second chance. Yet, to say that it was all the evil men's fault, is merely a statement of complete bigotry. We must strive for a better future within this world - not bound by skin color nor line upon a map, but by the fact that we are a citizen of Earth, all living on the same planet. As a Christian, I am filled with rage towards the Muslim's twisted and perverted view upon the notion of my God, yet as a human being, I can't help but see what really provoked these fanatics. It is fault on both sides, and it is not for me to say which is the greater evil. True, 9/11 was death upon innocents, but hasn't the war in Iraq paid all of the debut and more?

I hope you walk away with something from this. Also, I apolgize for all insults I may have committed against you, whether it be towards those who revere celery and all celery things as well as the celery industry, or those patriotic Americans that would call death upon my name. All I ask, is for us to think, where did we go wrong, and how can we make things better. Remember, two wrongs shall never make a right.

Now, I implore you to make your judgment upon this intrepid, aspiring, celery-hating writer.

Do your worst.