Ideologies look harmless, even beautiful. Most often people look at ideologies in their infancy and marvel at their simplicity, seeming innocence and beauty and welcome them with open arms. They demonize and ostracize those who oppose them as bigots and hate mongers and other things. They wonder how people can be opposed to something so seemingly simple, innocent and beautiful – surely they must be people with an evil heart.

So why do some people see ideologies as innocent and even beautiful, while others oppose them. Why do those who oppose ideologies and ideologues seem like bigots and hate mongers?

Beauty, Innocence and Hate Mongers

In order to understand this, I think it is useful to use an analogy.

Baby wolves – called pups – are beautiful and innocent to behold. And a group of wolf pups – called a litter – are even more beautiful, innocent and cute to behold. We may be tempted to adopt and grow a litter of wolf pups due to their cuteness and innocence.

If someone were to oppose us doing so, we could see them as bigots and hateful towards wolf pups. After all, in their infancy wolf pups are innocent and cute. Why would someone “hate” these little innocent and cute creatures. Surely something must be wrong with them.

Bigots

And they could seem like bigots, if they have pets of their own.

After all, a dog pup and a wolf pup look very similar. They both have a pair of eyes, a nose, two ears, a mouth and even sharp teeth. They are both four legged and both have fur. They have all the same internal organs including a brain, heart, lungs, livers, kidneys, stomach etc. They both have warm blood and even the same colour of blood. They both suckle their young. Mother dogs and mother wolves nurse their pups with milk until they are weaned.

So to take one home and to be weary of another is surely bigotry.

Racists

Some people would even play the racism card.

They would argue that people are really wary of wolf pups because of the colour of their skin or because of the colour of their fur – that there is no other real reason to do so.

But ss this really the reason why people don’t grow wolf pups, but grow dog pups? It may be convenient to see it this way for political or other ideological purposes, but is this the real reason? I don’t think so.

Why the “Bigotry”?

So why the seeming “bigotry”?

The seeming “bigotry” is not because people are wary of wolf pups for no reason. People are wary of wolf pups, not because of how they look when they are young, but because of what they turn out to be when they are fully grown.

People are wary of ideologies and ideologues for the same reason – not because of their seeming innocence and “cuteness” when they are their infantile stage, but because of their reality when they are fully grown.

The difference between people who support ideologies and those who oppose them is the difference between seeing the young, innocent and cute wolf pup [or litter of pups] and seeing the fully grown pride of wolves.

Ideologies have real and lasting consequences – in terms of human life, human dignity, human freedom, fear and a dignified life. Consequences that are very difficult to roll back once the ideology has taken hold.

Fostering Danger in the name of Compassion

Ideologues seem to be the caring and accepting. Ideologies are always pushed in the name of compassion. But in reality [through their ignorance, naivety and wishful thinking] the ideologues are the ones who really put society in danger, through fostering the growth of dangerous wolves [which look cute when young, but which feast on flesh when they come of age].

Those who promote ideologies therefore promote real danger to millions of people – sometimes through ignorance and often because of bitterness and malevolence.

The issue with wolf pups is not the superficial similarities they bear to dogs. The issue is that in their very DNA, in the programs that dictates how they function, they are very different from dogs and dangerous to man.

Similarly, the issue with ideologies is not their superficial innocence and beauty in their infancy, but their very DNA, which directs their growth, direction, instincts and behaviour when fully grown.

Be not deceived, a wolf pup will not turn out to be anything else other than a fully grown wolf. Anything else is contrary to the rules that govern nature.

Those who understand the DNA and program of ideologies warn us of the ideologies. Those who don’t understand the DNA – or those driven by bitterness and malevolence – promote the ideologies and grow packs of wolves to their own detriment and to the detriment of all.

Way Forward

It therefore follows that discussions on ideologies should not focus on how they seem in their infantile stage, but on their fundamental nature and their DNA and what they will turn out to be when fully grown.

Focusing on superficialities and infantile innocence or wishing for an outcome contrary to the rules of nature is wishful thinking that imperils our future and the future of future generations.

I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. [Mathew 10:16]