WATCH: The Human Family by Maya Angelou

As 2016 comes to a close, I'd like to share this beautiful, simple yet profound, poem by Maya Angelou titled Human Family. I watch it over and over again, listening to her voice reminding me that we are all unique and yet we are all so similar. And there's room enough here for each of us.

Human FamilyBy Maya Angelou

I note the obvious differences
in the human family.
Some of us are serious,
some thrive on comedy.

Some declare their lives are lived
as true profundity,
and others claim they really live
the real reality.

The variety of our skin tones
can confuse, bemuse, delight,
brown and pink and beige and purple,
tan and blue and white.

I've sailed upon the seven seas
and stopped in every land,
I've seen the wonders of the world
not yet one common man.

I know ten thousand women
called Jane and Mary Jane,
but I've not seen any two
who really were the same.

Mirror twins are different
although their features jibe,
and lovers think quite different thoughts
while lying side by side.

We love and lose in China,
we weep on England's moors,
and laugh and moan in Guinea,
and thrive on Spanish shores.

We seek success in Finland,
are born and die in Maine.
In minor ways we differ,
in major we're the same.

I note the obvious differences
between each sort and type,
but we are more alike, my friends,
than we are unalike.

We are more alike, my friends,
than we are unalike.

We are more alike, my friends,
than we are unalike.

Watch and think about the variety of images. Do you see the similarities? The smiles, the love, the connection between people. Take a few minutes to write about how you feel connected and to whom you feel connected. Write down three cultures or people you might like to learn more about. And then go do some research, find some people to follow on Facebook, maybe read this article on how to break out of your "filter bubble", ask if you can interview a stranger. Through writing, we can explore our boundaries, it's a safe place to examine our bias. Through listening, sharing, inviting, we can discover more connections.

Thanks for watching. 

Do you have any thoughts to share?

Her words are quite like a hug aren't they?

I could stay wrapped up in them forever.

"We are more alike, my friends,
than we are unalike."