All lives matter

It's hard to remember when I first realized that we are not all alike. It was a gradual process, I'm sure, as I slowly discovered that we look different, speak different languages, worship in different ways, earn different amounts of money, wear different styles of clothing, and so on. Some of us have blue eyes and some have brown. Some of us are perfect weight and some of us struggle with extra pounds. We are different races and sexual orientations and religions and genders and the diversity is one of those wonderful things about life - we can celebrate our differences.

Now there will be those who think that because of who their parents are, or because of their race or their religion or even their sexual orientation, that they are superior to others. "I'm better than you," is an all too often seen expression by some misguided folks who don't realize that we are ALL equal. Yes, we are different, but differences don't mean that one is better than another. Every single one of us matters. No one person is better than another and certainly no one group is better.

As I said, I don't recall exactly when I realized there were differences. At times I wish I had NOT discovered it. At times I wish nobody would discover it. Perhaps if we could look beyond those differences, we would remember that at the core of it all, we are the same. We all matter equally.