“There is more to admire in one another than there is to dislike.” Tony Dokoapil on CBS This Morning

In today’s world, we are told to slap a single, flat label on “others,” making them the enemy and rejecting who they are. But we are multi-faceted people. 

Raise Your Hand If….
You are tired of distancing yourself and staying at homeYou have eaten your way through the refrigerator and are half-way through the pantryYou or a family member have, or had the COVID-19 virusYou are a caretaker: nurse, doctor, first responder, therapist, parent, child.You served our country in the militaryYou have children, and want them to have a better life than you hadYou have parents, and want them to live the retirement lifestyle they have always desired: travel, that house by the lakeYou or a family member has a health issue: depression, PTSD or another mental issue, a life-threatening illness, an annoying but manageable illnessYou are creative: an artist, writer, musician, architect, landscaper, inventorYou are brave most of the time, sometimes, or wish you were braverYou have a dream for your future, waiting at the bottom of your heartYou are lonely, afraid, feeling emptyYou are living with violence from a spouse, parent, child, or another person in powerYou love hugs, kisses, making loveYou are in the middle of fulfilling your life dreamYou want to be seen, heard, respected, understoodYou have a vision for this countryYou are following a faith tradition or your own pathway
I could go on, but you get the idea. We raised our hands to many of the same statements. If we could stand in a group (not now, due to COVED-19), we would recognize that we have many of the same hopes, visions, and struggles as others. We could come to understand life experiences outside of our own, and how, using our unique abilities and common experiences, we could work together, to build a better world.
When we see each other only as a single label, we miss the beauty inside all of us. We are multi-faceted jewels. We share bright, colorful and shining facets, as well as remnants of wounds. We can look beyond labels and acknowledge, respect and explore our own and each other’s humanity.
I'll raise my hand for that.