How many of you believe in the Bible? Or better yet, in a higher being? I am not a deeply religious man but there are two stories from the Bible that have always struck me as being profound and even more relevant in today’s world. I am also inclined to think that these two stories can be found in some fashion in other religions and beliefs. I will probably get blow-back from theologians, but this is my simple way of telling the stories.

The first story is of a higher Being, some might call God or others Mohammad or still others Buddha or even something else, but none the less someone better than us, who created man. The Bible never says white man, black man, European man, or Asian man just man. From man this higher Being created woman to stand alongside man. Now the Bible never says that this Being created MEN or WOMEN. So, from these two creations all men and women have been conceived.

The second story even further backs up my theory. In the Bible, Noah built an ark, and all animals entered two by two. Once built the world was flooded and no one survived except those on the ark. So, today’s human race are all descendants of Noah.

Now for those that do not believe in a higher Being, they have a thought of evolution, man coming from something else maybe a monkey or even before that a single celled amoeba. None the less all of humankind has evolved from the same thing.

Another good example is when I joined the Marine Corps. We were taught that we had to rely upon the person next to us. It could mean a matter of life or death. It wasn’t dependent on the color of their skin, their religious or political background or beliefs. It was that they had your back, and you had theirs. We were brothers in arms. We were all different shades of green.

Our Declaration of Independence also says, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

With all of this being said, it is my belief that all “men” or if you like “humans” are descendants of ONE, so we are all related. All humans no matter who you are, ARE BORN, BLEED RED, and DIE. We are not physically different from one another. The only thing that has changed us is the environment and circumstances in which we grew up.

Others with profoundly different agendas are trying to “pigeonhole” us into one group or another pitting us against each other instead of us working as one. Do I believe in Black Lives Matter or Blue Lives Matter? I believe in their underlying message and what they were portraying but I do not believe in the way they are approaching it. The words alone in their titles are trying to segregate us into groups.

In a world where disease, environmental issues, economic issues, and other controversies dominate the news, one thing is still true and constant: The world is constantly changing. Nelson Mandela said,” Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”

Every one of us have a unique background and set of circumstances that we carry with us every day. All of us can value talents, work with abilities, and overcome challenges. We can celebrate successes. To achieve equality and diversity it is vital that we get to know who everyone is. What has shaped and molded you into the person that you are today and what are your aspirations for tomorrow? In doing so, we will have a better understanding of what each of us bring to the conversation.