Have you ever stopped to think about how our differences divide us? Doesn't it seem it has increased more and more within the last year? We are divided by race, politics, religious beliefs, sports teams we support, cars we drive and more. But are we really that different? I don't think so. Everyone one of us are in a hurry to get things done. We rush around until life is not that much fun because we are worn out. Everyone one of us wishes to be successful in life. Everyone one of us desires to be accepted. So why are we divided? We are we hurtful to people? haven't we learned anything from past history? It really makes me think.
At Open Hands I meet people that are very different from me. Yet I can sit and talk to them in an inviting place and our differences seem nonexistent. Why is that? What makes it easier to get along here but be divided when we go our separate ways? I wish I had the answers, I wish I had the solution. I wish, I wish, I wish but that seems to be all it is, a wish.
This past Wednesday I had the pleasure of sitting down with the Community Relations Coordinator of the Minnesota United Soccer team. As we spoke I told her, "You know, I really love the name United for this team. It speaks to what we need in the neighborhood where the stadium and team will be a located. Many are divided about how they feel it is going to impact the area. Don't you wish we could just be UNITED?" We both smiled at that but when I left I started thinking about division. A team called United, we are the United States of America yet, again, we are divided by differences.
I guess I could go on and on about how I feel but no matter what we do we are going to make choices to either be for or against things. We are going to have a positive or a negative attitude towards people. We are going to hurt others or be hurt ourselves. We will ask ourselves, "What's the use, nobody cares, why should I try." The answer I think is simple. If WE don't care or try the cycle continues and the things that should unite us will continue to divide us until nobody wins and we remain divided by differences forever. Not a very positive thought is it? Maybe you have the answer. Right now I don't, I simply have a wish that we could be UNITED, just sayin'...