Nowadays it’s widely accepted, in our rapidly shrinking global village, that we need to learn to 
work together – learn to live together.
And yet we resist it.
We insist on concentrating on the differences between us.
Colour, race, nationality, religion, politics, culture, gender, age, status, beliefs, thoughts.
Sure we’re different.
There’s no doubt about it.
But how about the ways we are the same?
Why don’t we really concentrate on what we share instead of what separates us?
I really mean that as a question – why don’t we?
What stops us trying to work together?
What are the obstacles to our seeing our similarities?
Can we talk about that?
I see us all as citizens of the Earth so don’t have a problem in concentrating on our similarities instead of our differences. I think that when one learns to see that we are all spiritual beings in a human body the sense of separation starts getting weaker, but that’s works for those of us who believe in this. For the non spiritual, the Internet which has virtually eliminated the separation of geography gives a wonderful opportunity to connect with people from different cultures and that is hopefully starting to open people’s minds
I hope you’re right about the internet, Marie – when you see everyone as part of a big human family it’s hard to work out why some people don’t see it – it seems obvious but perhaps it isn’t?
Fear. That’s it, just fear. We are afraid of what we don’t know. Well I think a lot of people feel that way. I also think the media does a good job of giving us reasons why we can’t.
I wish we could, too. I am always shunned from doing so. It hurts me.
I think it may be fear – we have a natural adaptive fear of strangers – but you’d think that that would be overcome by education?
This is a question I have asked myself for years. Why can’t we see beyond what divides us to what makes us the same? Why can’t we hear beyond the rhetoric?
I am constantly amazed that so many people don’t see it. I honestly don’t know any definitive answers to this question.
My son and I talked about this just yesterday. And he also brought up our inclination to generalize: If I meet one person of a certain race/creed/nationality who is loud or aggressive, then my assumption is that all people of that race/creed/nationality are too loud and aggressive.
I don’t know why. I wonder if it has to do with our intense need to belong and fit in. We keep trying to create little groups of acceptance where we can seek support and validation.
Perhaps the problem isn’t that we see and focus on differences; perhaps it is that we place such value judgements on those differences.
Thanks for this very thoughtful question; I’m eager to see what others think!
Good points especially about the differences – I think we do judge them but I suppose what I find hard to believe is how often I find people not able to see that we are all so similar – similarly annoying btw as well as similarly wonderful – it seems so obvious. Thanks.
Great post here my friend… We have grown up fearing each other in this miss trusting society we have all become used to.. We no longer know one another on the same street and we lock our doors behind us.. Again through Fear.. We become Jealous of our Neighbours and friends in this Have and haves not society.. we put lables upon each other of upper class, middle class lower class etc etc.. And we seperate ourselves as you say in all the above..
I think we will need a huge shake up to wake us up to the fact we are ALL the Same.. and we are all ONE at the end of the day..
I have found its only when we find ourselves in need of one another.. Such as the Last big winter storms we went through, When people dug each other out of their streets etc.. Some neighbours not having even spoken to each other in years before… that we see the Community Spirit come back as we Unite and help each other..
This Unity and Harmony is what is lacking.. because of all the Fear we hold… Once we understand that we either live in Fear or Love.. and we chose Love.. Will we begin to at last see clear.. and remove the blinkers and blind spots from our eyes..
Great Post..
Sue x
I sometimes think we are taught to believe that we will do better if we compete instead of cooperate and ignore the fact that the consequences will rebound on us sooner or later anyway as we are all one – whether we like it or not!
I wonder if part of it is that so much of our interaction with the world has been through intermediaries – the government, corporations, and the media. We have been told what “the other” is like and what “the other” thinks, but have not had direct access. Now we can have conversations and online relationships with people all over the world. It doesn’t change our differences, but it helps us see “the other” in a new way, perhaps a more authentic way. Maybe that is the beginning.
Hopefully it is a beginning. I am coming to the conclusion that we need to stop ourselves setting up ‘otherness’ in everything – I know we are different and, in a sense, ‘other’, but it’s as if we can see either oneness or otherness and until we get good at the oneness part perhaps we should refuse the otherness?
I wonder about our humanity too… WE need compassion in this world.
We most certainly do.
We all have much more in common as fellow humans that we have as differences. Our egoes just will NOT let us acknowledge this most of the time.
Perhaps it is our egos – it’s a mistake whatever it is!
I agree with Zen and the Art. . . It’s fear. We’re afraid of what we don’t know, of change and of what we might lose. A deep fear. Anyway, that’s what I think.
You are most likely right, I think – thanks.