Build a Bridge

If you are a bridge-maker, there is much work to be done.

The ravine-makers have been working overtime to ensure that we all recognize and honor the separation that exists between us.

Man vs. woman, Millennials vs. GenXers, Liberal vs. Conservative. Race, religion, sexual orientation. The haves and the have-nots. Protestors, protectors, law enforcement, and corporations. Safety pin wearers and non-safety pin wearers. The American flag, the Confederate flag, the National Anthem. All of these things have created distinct and visible boundaries, a comfort zone if you will, a way to define who we are in this world and what we stand for, or won't stand for, as the case may be.

Eventually there comes a time when the ravine-makers have created so many things that separate us from our neighbors, friends and families that one day we look around and notice that we are each stranded on our own island, alone and fearful of those who are separated from us by those deep and impassable boundaries originally created to give us comfort. The comfort zone is now a fear zone. Even if we wanted to reach out to our neighbor, we can't, because those ravine-makers have been too successful at their jobs. The fear has become so deeply entrenched, we can't possibly leap across the divide.

That is, until the bridge-makers come along.

The bridge-makers recognize and honor the separation that exists between us just as the ravine-makers hoped they would. They see that it is much too big of a job to fill in the ravines. They applaud the ravine-makers for a job well done.

And then the bridge-makers set about the work they came here to do. They begin to span those immense divides with whatever materials they can find. Love and hope, smiles and laughter. Dreams, goals, aspirations. Similarities and commonalities.  Serendipities and synchronicities. When they are done building, they fearlessly cross those bridges, reaching out to those along the way, bringing people together while dispelling the fear that blankets each individual island.

The bridge-makers rescue us from the solitary life created by the "us vs. them" philosophy of the ravine-makers.

Now, if you think the ravine-makers and the bridge-makers are just another form of separation, think again. You are both a ravine-maker and a bridge-maker. Where do you want to put your energy?