EDITORS NOTE

I often speak about co-existing and our connection with each other. People only exist because of each other, yet we seem to quickly forget this when we close in on protecting our voice and image, even if it means at the expense of someone else’s happiness or security. Having an opinion to protect our needs isn’t being selfish. However, you have to draw the line between having an opinion to creating a division. Opinions can and should be respected, and they are a valuable aspect of improving our lives and the world we live in.

Depending on individual cultures and upbringing, everyone’s beliefs and values are equally valid. But as soon as we create divisions and separateness from one another, we lose all sense of co-existing and become our own worst enemy. Division brings out the worst in people and creates a sense of fear, insecurity, and one’s need to protect themselves from their creation. We’ve all heard the saying, ‘Divide and Conquer,’ this metaphor is indicative of people’s attitudes who stop caring about others merely to get their own way.

Today, we are witnessing the awful events in Ukraine, civilians suffering and innocent people dying because of division. We have a leader who wants to create division in the world instead of respecting each other’s space and finding ways to co-exist. We are from one home, this planet we call ‘EARTH.’ We have our own space and rules governed by these lands, but ultimately it is all derived from one space, and it doesn’t matter how many divisions we continue to create, that can never change.