The Sickness of Demarcation

Demarcation:  “The determining and marking off of the boundaries of something”.  In this image, a woman walks casually over the very place where the infamous Berlin Wall once stood.  As I stand on the vantage point of perspective and cast my eyes upon the history of humanity, I can see clearly that which is at the root of nearly all human strife – demarcation.  It is uniquely human to draw lines, to divide and separate – and to then categorize, marginalize and label.  We have done it forever.  The demarcations we imagine between us have resulted in oppression, slavery, racism, genocide and war.  From ancient times, human beings have suffered with the sickness of demarcation.  From time immemorial we have divided ourselves from one another by race, color, gender, ethnicity, culture, class, and a myriad of other fictional justifications for divisiveness.  What is wrong with us?  When are we going to learn?  When are we going to finally realize that we are in this together, and that we have far more in common with each other than we often realize?  Did you know that 99.9% of all human DNA is identical?  That’s right – we are all 99.9% identical to one another.  What that means is that it is only the .1% of our shared DNA that results in all of our beautiful diversity.  That is a miracle, and it is something we should celebrate each other for – not hate each other for.  It is long past time for humanity to come to terms with itself; to put an end to the sickness of demarcation, and open our hearts and our arms to one another.  Especially to those who we have been fooled into thinking are so vastly different from us; those whose ethnicity or complexion is different from ours – those on the other side of our demarcation, our line, our boundary.  We must learn the power of empathy – to stand in someone else's shoes and feel what they feel – that we may finally see the truth, that we are not so different after all.  That, in the end, when the demarcations we have been duped into believing are erased, we will look over and find a friend, a brother, and a sister on the other side of a once impenetrable wall….

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