Gungor is a band created by Michael and Lisa Gungor. The band's most recent activity includes the release of two albums that are apart of a trilogy entitled "One Wild Life." The song "We Are Stronger" comes from "One Wild Life: Soul" and has a simple message, we are all humans, and this world works better if we are working together.
My favorite line of the song goes like this:
"I can't meet you eye to eye, but I can take your hand in mine."
In 15 monosyllabic words, the song encapsulates the whole human experience. We are all different. We come from different cultures, neighborhoods, families, countries, climates, economies, but we are all human. We may not be able to understand the plight of our brother, but we can understand that he is human, and because of that he has value.
We may not understand why the girl in our sociology class seems so distrusting of men. We may not know her story or be able to comprehend what she has been through, but we can take her hand, give her support, and remind her that she has value.
We may not have experienced attraction to a person of the same sex, and we may not even think that gay relationships are okay. That doesn't make our gay neighbors any less human. In fact, the things that make us the most human seem to be our individual experiences. If we can't celebrate those with each other and see the value in diversity, we have missed a huge point of human existence.
This song is what the world needs more of. Love. Compassion. Respect. Support.
The bridge of the song just simply states that all humans matter. All. Lives. Matter. The lyrics make no mention of the lives of the privileged in America. This, according to Michael Gungor, is intentional. The point is that people already see the value in the life of the middle-class white male. No one is disputing that. Gungor wanted to bring to attention the people whose value is commonly disputed in American culture. The lives of those people matter more than whatever political agenda you are pushing or what your religion tells you. They are human and that surpasses all other logic or argument.
Michael and Lisa Gungor are not the only ones who have a concept of compassion, love, and unity. They are not the first to write a song of this nature. However, the fact that this song is more of the exception than the rule is what is so troubling. People in this world and even in this country are having to kick and scream to be heard. It is 2016 and we still haven't figured out that all humans of all races, religions, creeds, genders, and backgrounds are equal. It is never going to start from the top down. If we want America to change, we must change our own lives. Let's try to spread a little more love today.
"Here's to life and all its branches."
