The most satisfying and fulfilling way of being is to be welcoming and neighbourly. We can accept and appreciate every culture. We can be inspired by their strengths, values, histories, customs, traditions, and maybe even their delicious food!
We all benefit when we take the time to get to know the extraordinary richness of our global community.
Closer to home, we can make a point of enjoying our families, extended families, friends, and friends of friends. We can take the time to celebrate special occasions together, and perhaps develop a habit of sharing a daily meal with loved ones.
photo by cottonbro studio
We, in privileged cultures, might forget that our abundance pours onto us as a result of established systems of wealth-making, most of which happen without our personal contributions. We enjoy the fruits of huge prosperity simply as a result of living in a first-world society. The more we succeed, the more things are skewed in our favour. In general, life gets easier and easier.
Why, with all of the resources of the world, do so many people struggle to have enough, to fulfill their dreams, and to be included in meaningful ways? What causes us to be unmoved by the pain of others? Why, when the rewards can be so great for everyone, is there so much inequity in the world?
The culprit is at least partly greed, but the issue might be much more complex than that. When there is an opportunity to take more than is fair, to enjoy a privilege that others can't have, we can be tempted to demean and degrade those who are less fortunate. When we are the cause of inequity, we sometimes try to cover our guilt or shame by devaluing the people who we hurt. This is the tragic connection between inequity and othering.
One of our most powerful needs is human connection, and choosing to see and value others can change the way we operate in the world.