"Give us the strength to understand,
and the eyes to see.
Teach us to walk the soft Earth
as relatives to all that live."
Sioux Prayer
Foreign exchange programs, Doctors Without Borders, Mission Trips, and extensive travel gathers human beings together to be seen as people not foreigners. The world grows smaller as we embrace strangers from distant lands, seeing them as individuals with a wealth of experience from a differing culture. Lending an open mind to various cultures broadens our perspectives and helps us to understand without judging.
Whomever we call God created all people with different skills, skin colors, perspectives, and body shapes. It would be difficult to believe we were made to be enemies against each other if we were deliberately made by the Divine. Would it not make more sense to believe we were authentically made to develop our personal spirit and to live with respect and awe of others?
So in spite of these things, why are we so threatened by things we don't strive to understand? How did we become pitted against each other rather than embracing our differences while celebrating gifts across the world? Does insecurity drive competitiveness to stamp out everything that is not within perfection of our own goals? Is it too late to elevate compassion while adjusting our competitiveness? Can we not allow human kindness towards all?
Small communities may be struck down by tragedy, and neighbors help neighbors to sustain the grief and sorrow. They pull together helping to restore each other back into normalcy. Why does it take an extreme act of nature or loss of life to gather us together with respect to all?
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