This is not about Israel or Palestine, it is about the right of all people to live peacefully.

[Bjorn Against]

It seems that too often we are unable to recognize that we all share a common humanity.

There are no Israelis or Palestinians, there are only humans that share the same common humanity no matter what side of the border they live on.

There are no heterosexual couples or gay couples, there are only humans who love one another and want to build more stable lives for themselves.

There are no insured people or uninsured people, there are only humans who share the same basic health care needs no matter what category the insurance industry places them in.

There are no Americans or Iraqis, there are only humans who want to be able to live a decent life without worrying about whether or not their home will be bombed.

Yes, it is true that sometimes that there are rival political factions and it often becomes necessary to take a stand against an ideology that is held by a large group of people. As we take that stand however it is important that we never forget the common humanity that we all share, and when we need to take a stand we should always stand on the side of that common humanity.

Instead of siding with Israel or Palestine let's side with those on either side of the border who want peace, and let us reject all those who cheer the bloodshed of who they view as the opposing side.

Instead of taking a stand on gay marriage or heterosexual marriage, let us just take a stand on marriage and realize that if consenting adults love one another they should have the same rights as anyone else.

Instead of focusing on the insured and the uninsured, let us just focus on the fact that everyone will need health care services at some point in their lives and let's look at people as patients rather than dollar amounts.

Instead of looking at America's role in Iraq, let us focus on the fact the most Americans don't agree with what their government is doing and the Iraqis are not all monolithic in their thoughts on the violence over there either.

It is not borders that separate us, it is ideology. No matter what country you go to people want to live in peace, they want to be treated fairly, and they want to have access to the basic services they need to survive. Some people may be in situations in which they are afraid to speak out for themselves, but we all share that common and humanity and if we can look beyond ourselves and recognize that humanity then it is usually not too difficult to know where to stand.

While it may seem that I am taking a very unifying position here, the fact is that there are many people out there who will mock such a position as “liberal claptrap”. When there are only so many resources in the world to go around some people are going to want more of those resources for themselves, and by extension less for everyone else. Once we start looking out for our own interests above the interests of society we begin to lose touch with the common humanity that we all share, and thus it becomes difficult for people to unite around that common humanity. If we really want to stand up for what is right then we need to look beyond our own personal life and stand up for the rights of others. I want to see those who live in Israel standing up for those who live in Palestine, I want to see those who live in Palestine stand up for those who want to live in Israel peacefully, I want to see more heterosexual individuals standing up for the gay men and women who want to share the same rights as they have, I want to see those with health insurance stand up for those without, I want us to be able to look beyond our own lives or our own borders and be able to recognize the basic needs and desires of all humans. As more people are able to look beyond their own interests and recognize that common humanity the world will be a more peaceful and more just place.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. Well and truthfully said...

K&R

:patriot:

[AnOhioan]

2. K&R

[LWolf]

3. You have the right of it. nt

[virgogal]

4. We need more women in charge. (Now hiding under desk) :-)

[Bjorn Against]

6. No reason to hide, you are absolutely correct.

While we all may share a common humanity we still do have different life experiences and it is important to have diversity. Right now men outnumber women in politics by a very large number, and it would extremely beneficial to us to have more gender balance in our government. So please don't hide, but rather speak out and fight for what you believe in. Welcome to DU.

[pinto]

5. All politicians and movers and shakers ought to see this - Earth from space -

It's what we've got and what we make of it.




http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=&imgrefurl=http://www.geos.ed.ac.uk/sages/image_gallery/general&usg=___WVrEj5fSu_KNvmpFVUbMbV_EHI=&h=411&w=599&sz=17&hl=en&start=1&um=1&tbnid=j7DnqzTSgcTcDM:&tbnh=93&tbnw=135&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dthe%2BEarth%2Bfrom%2Bspace%2Bpictures%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DX

[Bjorn Against]

7. Yes, that is a beautiful photo and I think it is important to note something about it...

When you look at the Earth you don't see any borders all you see is land and water. As humans we imagined those borders, but all you need to do is look at the Earth and you can see a world without them.