My heart cries out in indignation every time I hear somebody claim "ahh but it does not matter what goes on in Ukraine right?" or a sigh of despair when somebody makes a meme or joke about the suffering of people in another country.

My dear readers, as Martin Luther King Jr. once said "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."

Alas my readers, do not be deceived into thinking the plight of those in Venezuela, Syria, Ukraine or Russia does not effect us. The entire world is connected and we are all part of humanity. Are events in history isolated from the events today? Now with all due respect but only a fool would claim that history does not matter because "they are all dead." Enlightened citizens realize that history is the key to understanding humanity and we must talk about what is past to understand what is to come. I am not scholar of history (although it is interesting) but the stories are fascinating and have taught me the depths of the human story.

Likewise, to understand one nation we must understand them all. Governments may separate us but humanity brings us together. Now obviously I as an American have pronounced cultural differences from somebody from Brazil or Ghana. But we do all haver the same human heart. We all appreciate beauty and knowledge, and above all we all have rights that nature decrees to us- the right to be free.

Liberty! Alas that word which is the object of the deepest desires of my soul. Where would we be without it? Alas liberty must be tempered by its sisters equality and fraternity. For if we are not all equal in our rights, and show no fraternity of the human spirit- do we truly have liberty? This my dear reader I shall leave for you to ponder.

Alas my gentle citizen, could one person stand solitary above the rest? Is it satisfying to the human soul to only focus on one's own needs and neglect the needs of others? Ahhh such a move would be silliness and result in misery. We are made to be social creatures and enjoy the company of others. Likewise nations, as different as individuals are better off interacting with each other. Cultural knowledge should be shared across borders as well as historical knowledge for all to enjoy. When one nation suffers, we as humanity all suffering with it.

Just as siblings all share the same DNA but have different interests, fears and loves we as nations all are members of humanity but have different pictures to offer the human race. We all have the same DNA of desiring the basic freedoms. Liberty of the press- writers free to express themselves even when an article may be objected to by the king. Liberty of the conscious- people allowed to believe what they want and not be punished because their religious views decree they must stay home on a certain day. Liberty of speech- the freedom we find the depths of coffeehouse discussions as we criticize leaders we do not like and propose new solutions. These shared experiences and shared desire for a greater liberty have found themselves expressed in every culture in history. There is no culture that does not deserve the same rights as I do.

Now for those interested in the big picture- when one nation is in a war or humanitarian crises, it effects the entire region and dominates all political discussions. Now I believe we do have an example of diplomacy and cultural sharing in action- the European Union. While it isn't flawless, citizens of the European Union have liberty they can cross the border and freely live and work in their neighbor country. Now imagine a world where these rights are extended to all. I'm not talking about a single world government- alas that will only result in usurpation of power. But a union of some sort of all the nations of the world sharing in cultural knowledge and guaranteeing the freedom of mobility that the European Union has. We have seen it work on a small scale, now to extend such to us in the Americas to join with our sister countries (the EU) and eventually the world.

Imagine a family- 3 siblings I shall call Timide, Bruyante and Créatif. Timide is quiet and prefers to play music all day. She is afraid of the dark and loves being alone. Bruyante loves parties and being on stage in musicals. She is great at singing and dancing but hates cooking. Creatif is an artist and isn't the most talkative person but expresses himself beautifully in words.

Let's say Timide becomes sick, would it be right of Bruyante to say "ahh it doesn't matter!" if Creatif breaks his arm should Timide ignore him?

Of course not! Now of course they all have different "cultures" but we have something to learn from all of them and they can all offer something to the world. Different is a benefit in the stage of humanity for it keeps the world interesting. They all share the same DNA as being siblings just as we all share the DNA of being humanity.

My dear readers, citizens of the world- I implore you to look outside of your own borders and see how we can benefit the greater picture of humanity. Even for small tasks such as listening to those who suffer under oppressors and sharing their stories we are doing the world a great service- that of sharing knowledge.

May knowledge and truth forever be the foundation of the republic!