Differences...

If I like most vegetables

and you prefer corn and peas

that doesn't mean 

I have to give up other vegetables.

If I like to read

and you prefer the television

agreeably it is a challenge

but not impossible.

If I am angry and fearful

and you are calm and loving

we may have clashes

but we also have a counter-balance.

If you are Republican

and I am a Democrat

it only means 

we have different political views.

If I am black skinned

and your skin color is another

our hearts still beat the same

but our life experiences may be different.

How I was raised

and what I was exposed to

programs and shapes how I feel,

determining if I see "us" or "them"...
but I always have the option
to change..

Being human

 feels more secure
 to seek the familiar or the "better";

differences, too often feel
more like rejection or threatening.

In such times,
 I must seek the Spirit within me
and remember Love..

It boils down to love and fear

I am either one or the other.

Since I strive for more love...I feel more responsibility

to help those with fear...
and hopefully, those with more love
help me when I am fearful.

Those who prefer to keep

rather than share

may have never experienced

needing a helping hand...

A stranger is no longer one

after we meet and get to learn
about one another...

I think it's interesting to find common ground

unless judgment and prejudice is preferred..
then it usually ends up divisive...

I don't have to be your "best friend"

but can't we see the honor to agree to disagree?

I feel, respect for our differences

is the beginning of a solution.

If there is 360 degrees within a circle

and the circle is a symbol of wholeness

then let us start with the concept

there are at least 360 ways to look at any problem.

I wish we all knew

our souls are eternal...

We've been here before

but we didn't get it right then either....

Maybe this time

today, this moment, 

we can strive to make a difference

for the better...

My Soul wants to belong

My Spirits wants to expand.

My Human-ness wants to be right...
but I have learned its best to stay open...

Combine it all
 and hopefully,
 it becomes potential,
for a universal answer.

© dkb