Discrimination and Boy in the Striped Pajamas

“No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.” - Nelson Mandela

I find this quote is very relatable to the book "Boy in the Striped Pajamas". The way children are taught in this book is wrong and they don't get the chance to form their own opinions and have their own beliefs. Since kids aren't born hating a group or a person they have to be taught or told to discriminate or hate something. 

People are not born into the world hating a race or a group or religion, They have to be told to hate them. People are not born automatically believing in religion, They have to be told to believe it. A young child wouldn't care what race you are, what your beliefs are, what colour your skin is, They would form their opinions and thoughts of you based on who you are as a person not on your belief system and skin colour. Children are brought up a certain way and that is what they believe, If your parents are religious, Chances are there going to raise you to believe in a belief system, Believe in a "God", and raise you as a member of what religion they are a part of. But what if, You were brought up freely, YOU made your own choices, YOU decided whether you want to base your life off a belief system, YOU make your own choices and choose what you want to believe, Its not forced down your throat and your not made to believe in anything other than what YOU want to believe. But this doesnt happen often..

I was brought up freely, I choose I didn't want to believe in a "God", I choose who to like and who to dislike, and thoughts weren't "forced" onto me. Maybe this is how kids should be brought up and maybe it would stop a lot of discrimination against race and skin colour from people who may not necessarily believe that if it wasn't told to them at a young age. This is most likely what happened to Bruno in the book, He was forced to believe in Christianity, he was told that Christianity is the superior religion and that Jewish people and African Americans  were insuperior and were to be dominated in the way they were in World War 2, And the way all groups are hated in one way or another throughout the world. 

Im sorry for ranting but this is a topic that is very thought provoking for me and I feel Its a topic that needs to be talked about. 

M