One of the biggest problems in our society is the fact that people do not step back and take the time to understand something different from them. There is a tendency to only care about those closest to us, those who have proven to have our back, but we need to start caring more about our neighbors, near and far. There are over seven billion people that walk this planet, and the way each person sees the world is with a unique set of eyes.

In order for people of different cultures to exist in harmony, or at least something closer to it than what currently goes on, people have to understand that there is more than one side to a story; there are many reasons to account for why something is a certain way, or why someone behaves differently from them.

The experiences we have throughout our life determine the way we behave and what we value. Since we are not all from the exact same place, or growing up in similar backgrounds with the same friends and family, there is no way we can act or feel the same way about things. Different factors affect our lives and bring us to where we are meant to be at specific moments. Everyone has their own place in society, and we are not all meant to feel the same way about things. How else could we ever make progress?

Our country is divided over silly reasons, if you ask me. At the end of the day, we all want the same thing. We all want love, acceptance, success and to save face. The ways we go about trying to get those things is what differs and can cause more conflict. Face-negotiation theory (Ting-Toomey) accounts for the various differences in responses to conflict, depending on the situation, individual and culture they are a part of. One aspect of this theory is mindfulness, which is recognizing that things are not always what they seem. It is essential to seek multiple perspectives when in conflict with others, so to not make the situation worse.

As humans, we tend to reject anything that is different from what we believe, even if it may be a lot more alike than we realize. When someone contradicts us, we get frustrated and give up, rather than adjusting our mind frame to understand their motives — to not only understand what someone is saying, but where they are coming from; what caused them to feel the way they do and caused them to do the thing they did.

People need to be more understanding of each other. The earth is crumbling around us, and people care, but does everyone care enough to set aside their differences to achieve a common goal? I am afraid the resistance to change is too strong, as people are so easily stuck in their ways. We need a leader who will show us how to care for one another, not tear each other apart.