June 20, 2023 – B

"We are all One, but not the same One."

I wish I remembered who said that.

We are one in our individuality,
in our personal identity,
which is as different for each of us
as our fingerprints
or the cones in our iris.

Different in our sameness.
The same in our different-ness.

Seeing the same things differently.

Each of us being who we are,
the same yet different,
different yet the same.

Owing it to each other to be 
as different as we are capable of being--
trusting that to make us 
the same as everyone else.

And each of us allowing the rest of us
to be as different as we are,
winking at our differences,
knowing that makes us the same,
laughing at those who try to make all of us
exactly the same in every respect
(The Fascist Way, little Hitlers all).

Honoring our right to be different--
honoring each others' right to be different--
is the primary human obligation.

We owe it to each other--and to ourselves--
to be who we are,
anyway,
nevertheless,
even so.

Minding our own business,
knowing where to draw our lines,
and trusting others to do the same,
and working things out
situation by situation
throughout the time left for living.

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