In modern life, we do not need much proof to see that we are all connected in one way or another. Human beings have always lived through connection. In traditional societies, people worked together, protected one another, shared food, cared for the weak, and opened their doors even to strangers.
This was not only true in one culture. It was common in many cultures. Among the Oromo people, for example, there has been a strong tradition of welcoming strangers and treating them with honor, friendship, and dignity.
Connection is not only a human reality. Even animals often live, move, hunt, protect, and survive together. Life itself teaches us that isolation is dangerous and connection is necessary.
The Blessings We Inherit
But in today’s world, our connection is even more visible. I have lived in the United States for more than thirty years. I was not born here, and I did not contribute to the early development of this country. Yet today, I drive on modern highways, live in a good neighborhood, and benefit from systems, schools, hospitals, roads, and opportunities that others built before I arrived.
My children were educated in organized schools and graduated from American colleges. My family and many immigrant families have enjoyed blessings made possible by people we never met—people who worked, sacrificed, paid taxes, built institutions, protected freedoms, and developed this country long before we came. This should make us humble and grateful.
Many immigrants, including my own family, came to this country looking for a better life. We received the fruit of the labor of people who came before us. We may not know their names, but their work made our lives better. For that reason, gratitude should come before complaint.
Differences Do Not Remove Our Need for One Another
Of course, no country is perfect. No society is without problems. People have different opinions, different political views, different histories, and different struggles. We do not have to deny these differences. But we should not allow differences to blind us to the truth that we still need one another.
One sad thing in our time is that some people intensify differences and forget our shared humanity. Almost everything becomes political. Everything is presented negatively. Instead of seeing one another as neighbors, people begin to see one another as enemies. But whether we like it or not, we are connected.
Trouble Travels
Look at what happens in different parts of the world. A war in Ukraine affects food prices, energy, politics, and families far away. Tension around the Strait of Hormuz can affect oil prices and economies across the world. Many people may not have thought much about those places before, but when conflict happens there, the effect reaches homes thousands of miles away.
This teaches us something important: if trouble in a faraway country can affect us, how much more can trouble near us affect us?
A problem in your neighborhood is not only someone else’s problem. A wounded family affects the community. A divided community affects the city. A troubled city affects the nation. A nation in conflict affects the world.
No one lives completely alone. No family, community, country, or people group can say, “What happens to others has nothing to do with us.”
When others suffer, we are not safer. When others are harmed, peace is weakened for all. When others are treated with dignity, humanity is strengthened for all.
When others are protected, the world becomes safer for all.
How We Treat One Another
Therefore, let us be careful how we speak, how we judge, and how we treat one another. Let us not celebrate another person’s pain. Let us not ignore suffering simply because it is far away. Let us not think that peace can belong to us while others are burning.
If we want peace, we must respect people near and far. If we want safety, we must care about justice beyond our own house. If we want kindness, we must also give kindness. If we want a better world, we must begin with the way we treat the people around us.
The World Is Closer Than We Think
Your peace and my peace are connected. Your pain and my responsibility are not completely separate. The pain of others should not give us joy, because when others suffer, humanity itself is wounded.
Let us live with gratitude, humility, respect, and compassion. Whatever we say or do affects others in one way or another. Our words can heal or hurt or even kill. Our actions can build peace or deepen division.
Stay blessed, and remember: we depend on each other more than we sometimes realize.