| We are all brothers |

Last fall, several beautiful interactions filled my experiences while working and studying in Amman, Jordan.

One particular exchange has been replaying in my mind lately, flooding my thoughts and provoking deep pondering.

During a simple get-to-know-you conversation with a lovely, elderly neighbor, the subject of religion came up and went a little something like this:

"Are you Muslim?" she asked frankly.

"No, I'm Christian."

"Aahh, yes" she replied with loving, smiling eyes. "I love Christians. We are all brothers."

Those words- "we are all brothers"- really touched my soul that day. And in the deepest depths of my heart I know that to be true: We are all brothers and sisters- whatever we may be and whatever we may believe.

We are all connected. 

We are all, as Ram Dass once said, "walking each other home." And as a wise Word Religions' teacher once quoted: "There are many roads to the top of Mount Fiji."

Too often we agonize over differences between the "us" and the "them", creating gaps of misunderstanding and even hatred, incessantly stressing and debating over who-is-in-the-wrong versus who-is-in-the-right, backing up the side we choose with countless facts and very real, personal experiences.

Then somewhere in this vicious, cyclical process humans- divers et ondoyant (diverse and undulating), much like the ebb and flow of a sea- are also shoved into tiny one-dimensional boxes without any regard to how well they fit, how many bones break, or how many hearts bruise in the process.

We forget our brothers and sisters.

We forget each one is too wonderful to be confined to a single-faceted shape.

Look around you- How many news articles, blogs, and Facebook posts are dedicated to in-group glorification and out-group denigration? Based on some of my own social media experiences, I would dare say that more money, energy, and time are spent putting each other down more than lifting each other up. 

This phenomenon, I believe, is one of the greatest tragedies of our time: the slow yet noticeable death of our collective humanity- the destruction of our large, earthly family.

I am not, in any way, dismissing the importance of standing up for your beliefs or engaging in dialogue that you deem important- I absolutely encourage self-advocacy, looking out for others, and following the promptings of your heart, even if they do not match my own.

But I am suggesting that brotherly love should indiscriminately permeate all we do- brotherly love should be the epicenter of our thoughts, words, and actions.

In a messy world full of controversial issues and constant pressure to take increasingly polarizing sides- these are the principles to which I always come back and to which I will always return.

We are all brothers- infinitely diverse, on our own various roads to the top of Mount Fiji, walking each other home.

Do we treat each other as such?