We are Same same but different

We are all same. We all have one thing in common. Our blood that gives us life is red. But it is different- Positive, negative, O, A etc. We all are different in color, height, size, looks, speech, and many myriad ways. But we all belong to one race-humanity. Though claiming different parentage, we all have common DNA- of the creator. We are like the waves of the Ocean. Each wave is different yet it is part of the ocean. Yet, why do we build fortresses around us?

It all starts in the smallest unit called family. Deep fissures called jealousy and envy, divide siblings. Husband and wife quarrel over petty things like ‘my family’ ‘your family’. The home becomes a battleground with ego clashes about petty issues.

The next biggest dividing factor is caste and creed. Generations of enmity are carried forward over this and friendships and romantic relationships get fragmented. Hatred and vengeance cause untold miseries to the victims who are most often innocent and have nothing to do with it. In the Gita, Krishna explicitly talks about the four divisions in society based not on birth but on their duties. Each of these is complementary to the other so that society functions in a smooth manner. But now we have split our social fabric with umpteen sects and sub sects with the prime intention of dividing rather than uniting.

Sarvatra samam pasyati advise our shastras.The Bible too corroborates this by saying ‘do unto others as you would they unto you’. We live in an interdependent world where we all need each other for harmonious existence. How can we be truly happy when out neighbor is suffering? How can we live in peace when the community around is torn apart by vicious elements?

Swami Dayananda Saraswati says, “How can we hurt another without getting hurt in the process? No human heart was ever made that cannot empathise with a person who is sad. Even psychopaths have their spells of empathy because of how the human heart is”.

The world is moving at an alarming pace with Science and Technology assisting the velocity. Add to this the greed of man to acquire material possessions and you have a society that has crumbling values.This means acute competition and that results in intolerance and the desire to win at any cost.

Can we for a moment stop and think of what we are doing to ourselves? With global connectivity through modern communication channels, we can all exchange positive interpersonal relations and support each others growth, both materially and spiritually. Holding hands, we can move forward without fear. We can facilitate each others success and share the joys. We can drop the superficial differences and remember that we are the same offspring of the same God- be it Rama, Rahim or Jesus