By knowing one another intimately, empathy develops. Empathy is the ability to understand and share feelings of another. It is experienced as one human being moves through the world and connects with other humans and life forms. It is the only tool that can combat hate toward one another. It can not be taught and must be individually learned.
There are countless stories of people becoming friends after generational family racism and hate. All it took was for one person to sit at a table with the other. Every moment captured in the presence of someone who differs from them is a moment that can change the course of a that person’s life.
The reason so many generations before us relied on separation and hate was because in many instances, integration and true connective moments didn’t exist.
There are still places in this world where one type of person has never met another type of person. Whether the difference be race, religion, gender, or sexual preference, there are some communities that are simply ignorant to being in the presence of the other.
Ignorance is the greatest threat to empathy. It is necessary that we are able to find a common ground for all of humanity to realize that we are much more similar than we are different.
Our deepest wishes and hopes for ourselves and our family members almost mirror that of anyone else despite their differences.
Once a person walks with another through different life experiences, that person begins to see the world through the other persons eyes.
Our differences make us interesting, but our similarities will allow us to have the compassion that we need to not destroy each other.
In the end, we bleed the same, dream the same, and fight for what we love.
Sereniti Sparkles 