By Dr. Austin Orette

Empirical observations suggest that in every society, those who advocate separatism are often the least developed in consciousness. They cling to narrow identities because they lack the maturity to embrace broader humanity.

History offers many lessons. When the American South seceded, it was not because of progress but because it still relied on slavery for economic survival. Similarly, throughout history, groups that resist coexistence tend to be those unable to adapt to new realities.

Human growth follows a natural pattern. A child begins life clinging to his mother, then gradually learns to recognize family, clan, and tribe. True maturity comes when he steps beyond these boundaries to embrace people who are different. This capacity to navigate difference is what we call development.

Unfortunately, many societies have attempted this negotiation through subterfuge, domination, or oppression. Europe, for example, used violence and exploitation in its interactions with others, giving birth to slavery, racism, apartheid, and colonization, the consequences of which are still with us today.

At its core, racism and tribalism are not signs of superiority but of immaturity. They reflect an inability to grow, to interact, and to coexist. Those who practice them retreat into the comfort of familiar identities, much like a frightened child who refuses to step beyond the city limits. They mask insecurity with loud declarations of superiority. Yet true superiority requires no such proclamation.

In Africa, this immaturity manifests as tribalism. In Europe, it was racial supremacy. In both cases, the result is the same: psychological arrest in a primitive state. The tribalist or racist becomes like a cave dweller, unable to see beyond the walls of his cave, finding security only among his own, and mistaking isolation for progress.

This is the great illusion of our time. Racism, tribalism, and separatism are paraded as civilization and progress by their practitioners, yet they are nothing more than mediocrity dressed in false glory. Those who cling to them lack the essential glue of all human progress: love. Without love, they cannot build lasting bonds, only tyranny and exclusion.

True bravery lies in moving beyond the confines of tribe and race to embrace humanity as one family. The earth is our shared garden, and we are called to plant seeds of love, peace, and unity within it. Love breeds courage, while fear breeds regression. When we lack love, we retreat into selfishness, insecurity, and primitive materialism, mistaking these for development.

The truth is simple: racism and tribalism are symptoms of underdevelopment. They are the tantrums of a child who refuses to grow up. Humanity will only progress when we abandon these illusions and embrace love as the foundation of coexistence.