It’s Not Us v. Them, It’s Just Us!

photo credit Unsplash

We should all take a moment to think about this: does it really have to be us versus them? There are so many divisions in this world. We can divide ourselves on race, gender, ethnicity, culture, religion, politics, wealth, education, skin color, eye color, hair color, etc, the possibilities are endless! But do these differences really matter? 

Right now, we can hop on the internet and connect with people halfway around the world, people that in the not-so-distant past would have remained a complete mystery to us since they lived in a different country far, far away. But now with a click of a button (and a reliable internet connection) we can speak to almost anyone, anywhere! That is absolutely amazing, when you think about it! 

So why do we still fear the other?

Yes, there is some historical context from our days of hunting and gathering, where we had to rely on our tribe for protection and survival against potential enemies. But nowadays, is that really a concern? We live in modern societies, with easy access to water, food, and shelter. We have law enforcement, a justice system, and a government that can easily provide us with infrastructure to make our lives easier, as well as aid and protection from natural disasters or possible enemies. So maybe we do still have tribes, albeit ones that have grown into countries, but even then we have the ability to travel to most other countries without fear of being killed or imprisoned just for existing. We don’t really need to fear the other for our survival anymore. 

Yet, as soon as we experience something that seems a little different from what we are use to, something a little outside of our comfort zone, we immediately fall right back and submit ourselves to a rule of fear. But we don’t have to. We can look around us and remember that these differences that have the power to divide, can also be celebrated. We are all human. We have the same basic desires and needs. In a previous blog, I wrote about how the main goal in life was for everyone is to be happy. In another, I wrote about how most (if not all religions) have some form of the Golden Rule. We are different, but we’re not. We may have skin-deep differences, we may have philosophical differences, we may have political differences, but regardless we still want the same things in life. We want to be happy. We want to be free from harm. We want to provide for ourselves and our families. We want to experience the joys that life has to offer. Who among you does not want these things? 

So let us remember the next time something happens that is outside our comfort zone, that we must look beyond the differences. We need not divide ourselves into groups. We not divide ourselves at all. There is no need for it to be us versus them. Instead let us focus on what unites us. Let us remember the desires that we all have, the ones that remind us that we are in fact all the same. And let us push past that fear of the other once and for all. For in the end, it really is just us.