The Interconnectedness of All

Richard Rohr, the Franciscan writer, always stresses, “Everyone belongs.” That is, we all have a place at the table. Moreover, everything is connected. If we believed this, we would have to accept everyone and to see everyone as valuable. This would eliminate racism, sexism, elitism, feelings of superiority, attitudes of rejection and condemnation, and violence against others. 

Of course, this would be an ideal world. We would all want to live in this kind of world, but what are we doing to help create such a place? For one thing, we could accept and welcome people, whether they are black, white, brown, or yellow. We wouldn’t have segregated neighborhoods or special privileges for certain races. Some of this prejudice comes from the way we were raised, but it doesn’t have to continue.

Women have proved that they are just as capable as men in most fields. Why can’t women be heads of corporations, presidents of their countries, or defenders of our liberties? If they were given equal chances and opportunities, they could work just as hard and accomplish just as much as their counterparts.

It is true that there are more men in prison than women, but why are they there? Were they raised in an atmosphere of violence or neglected or abused as children? Did they drop out of school because no one motivated them to be more or provided them with better schools and teachers?

Do we reject or ignore people who live on the street, are hooked on drugs, are handicapped, or are mentally limited? Those of us with good backgrounds and average intelligence find it hard to understand why some people are homeless, unemployable, or use drugs to take away their pain and hopelessness.

If we all belong and are interconnected, we are all part of the same family. We need to learn to know these people and to care about them. They are our brothers and sisters. We have wonderful examples of people who have cared for others, like Dorothy Day, Mahatma Gandhi, and Nelson Mandela.  May we try to imitate their acceptance of everyone and generous service to the needy.