Neighbors: Same, Similar, Different, Unique
Current events seemingly everywhere show situation after situation in which ignorance, prejudice, violence, and misuse of power enacted by people painfully hurt and harm human and non-human beings throughout our tolerant and troubled home planet.
How to respond in ways that constructively contribute to health, healing, and harmony? How to keep our minds, hearts and hands open, despite feeling fear and frustration? How to preserve hope in humanity?
What if we believed that...
as human beings we are more alike than we are otherwise, that
there are notable similarities and differences among groups of people, and that
each and every person can be a contributing ‘one of a kind’?
These clauses, though appearing to be mutually exclusive, all ring true and meaningful, don’t they? As stated by anthropologist and social theorist Clyde Kluckhohn,“every human is like all other humans, some other humans, and no other human.”
Our commonalities and idiosyncrasies as people make living in community a complex challenge, and give us reasons to rise to the challenge.
Same and Similar
Genetically we are more alike than different from each other. The natural shared aspects of human experience are transcultural, metacultural. As earthlings, as people, and as neighbors, we share space, structures, and stuff with others with whom we may or may not share background history or backstage stories. Can we draw from these points of convergence and divergence when relaxing in our backyards, needing a back rub, or looking for someone to ‘have our back’?
The family that moved into ‘our’ block/town/state/country is in some respects like all other families; as is yours, and ours. Even if they may look, sound, or act differently, we are related as members or the same species, residents of planet Earth. The question remains, how to relate with each other in fair, respectful, considerate, civil ways, cultivating our common ground?
Different and Unique
Differences exist between and within cultures and subcultures. The neighbors are in some respects like others with their shared heritage, as we are similar to those whose roots we share. Could it serve us to open the doors and windows of our minds and homes to exchange with our neighbors the sights, sounds, and smells from ‘back home’?
Each of us is as unique as our fingerprints. Every one of our neighbors is in some ways like no other, with distinctive features that characterize their personhood, irrespective of natural or human-made distinctions. Beware of generalizations, for they are incomplete, thus inaccurate and unfair!
What if we greeted each other so that the best aspects of our human nature, socio-cultural treasures and trappings, and individual beings meet? If so, perhaps our neighborhoods and planet still have a chance of becoming ‘home sweet home’ for everyone.
