We are all connected and we must learn to get along

"Protect yourself." Not from a self defence perspective when you need to protect yourself as a reaction to a threat.

"Protect yourself," as in proactively protect yourself. Employees do this by keeping email trails to cover themselves should investigations occur. People do this with their homes, locking the door or leaving the lights on.

In all my naivety, I ask.

What can transcend generations and ages?

What can transcend cultures and language limitations?

What can transcend beyond what we can see?

What can transcend beyond negativity?

The answer I keep return back to is love. A sense of belonging within a community.

When people no matter how old, lifestyle or whatever context, we feel connections. When we feel like we are all in it together. A community. Writing with the angle of 'learning', people that feel they truly belong and can be themselves within such community, are far more likely to engage and learn. Within such communities, the teacher/leader or whatever you may call them, are actively involved. They are invested in the process because they genuinely want to.

From a martial arts perspective, a student feeling fear and anxiety towards a grading or a competition will feel empowered just that extra bit, if they see their seniors also participating in a grading or competition as well. We are all suffering together and we all as collective humankind, need to be reminded that we are all in it together. I believe the same could be said about everything. Division is created when either side PERCEIVES that the one side of the party is doing something entirely different to the other. Perception is key, and being able to understand one another's perception through 'storytelling' is fundamental.

The answer so far, seems to be love. We need to feel safe so that we can combat the unsafe. We need to feel a team, like soldiers on a battlefield, to want to be the challengers fighting for a cause. And whether that be on the frontlines of the hospital ward, or doing an assignment in front of your computer or reading reports, we are all in this ecosystem of life together.