What unites us?
There is so much that divides us. Our backgrounds, our politics, our religions—our football allegiances—but mostly our fears and misperceptions. All these divisions make for conflict, and conflict makes good entertainment, and good entertainment makes money. But it doesn’t make us any richer: it makes us isolated and angry. What is there that unites us?
Three things come to mind to start:
1. We were all born.
2. We will all die.
3. We all have a story.
#1 is cause for ongoing celebration. #2 is cause for ongoing appreciation. #3 is cause for ongoing listening. Hearing each other’s stories we will no doubt find even more that unites us…hardship, loss, hope, laughter. The list is ongoing.
How can we mine that list? How can we use it to more fully and sincerely come together?
Anonymous
February 6, 2018 at 2:20 amI think there is a universal spirit–some might call it the Holy Spirit, others would not–that we feel inside us but that is also beyond us, uniting us. I stumbled across this quote by a Monica Bellucci and I like it. “I am an agnostic, even though I respect and am interested in all religions. If there’s something I believe in, it’s a mysterious energy; the one that fills the oceans during tides, the one that unites nature and beings.” It reminds me of Wordsworth’s lines from Tintern Abbey “A motion and a spirit, that impels/ All thinking things, all objects of all thought, / And rolls through all things.” Haven’t we all felt this spirit?
Anonymous
February 6, 2018 at 2:21 amWe were discussing this at dinner tonight and my youngest, who is 4, raised her hand and said, “We all have feelings.” Pretty much spot on.
Anonymous
February 7, 2018 at 2:32 amWe are united by the fact that we all feel alone at times. If we treated everyone in our path with this knowledge, if we treated every single person today as if we knew they might feel alone, wow, we could spread so much good.
Anonymous
February 8, 2018 at 2:18 amI think we all have a desire to love and be loved. Isn’t that all of it, right there?!
Anonymous
February 9, 2018 at 9:08 pmThe Olympics is a show of unity. Coming together from all over the world to compete fiercely but fairly. Dedication. Teamwork. Dreams. It’s all there, it’s all of us.
Anonymous
February 10, 2018 at 3:35 amI think we all have an innate desire to feel known, and, sadly enough, our inability to know others, due to fear, discomfort, lack of access, etc. is what so often drives us apart. But if we approach others with curiosity … “Tell me about you” … it could lead to interesting, wonderful conversations that we might not otherwise get to have. And then the not-known person might walk away feeling a little more known, and a little less defensive. So often, we see what’s different, rather than approaching a new person looking for similarities we might share.
Anonymous
February 10, 2018 at 3:40 pmLove and hope. Fear and survival.