And the second is like unto it. Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. Mark 12:31

It has been two thousand years and we have still not digested, comprehended, received or grasped that simple yet so profound commandment.

From Darfur to Detroit.

From Sudan to San Diego.

From Iraq to India.

From Sinaloa to Shanghai.

From New York To New Delhi.

From Burma to Burundi.

From Algiers to Akron.

Everyone, everywhere is still struggling with it.

That to hurt, injure, deceive or destroy your neighbor is evil, illogical, impractical, risky and dangerous to your own personal well-being.

We are all on the merry go round circle of life. So as you go around, I come around.

We are all riding the ferris wheel of destiny. I am up, you are down. You are up, I am down. And so it goes.

Using the movie The Help as a backdrop, let us examine the insanity and stupidity of hampering or impeding the progress or quality of life of another.

It is my hope that the next time you are tempted to complain about, harass, hassle, disdain or mishandle your brother or sister that you will clench your fist, grit your teeth, control your temper and hold that vicious tongue.

Consider and think about:

The butcher, he is wrapping your meat

The chef, he is cooking your food.

The waiter or waitress, he or she is delivering your plate.

The mechanic, he is fixing the brakes on your car.

The carpenter, he is building the roof over your head.

The maid or housekeeper, she is making your bed, washing your dirty drawers, minding your defenseless children, arranging your private papers and overhearing your confidential conversation.

The nurse or doctor, they have anesthetized you on an operating table.

The pharmacist, he is dispensing your medication.

The wife you are cheating on, she is sleeping next to you.

Do you really want to mistreat them?

Are you such a big bad arrogant, pompous, self-confident bully with every one under your thumb that nobody, anywhere or anytime would ever mess with you?

Do you really want to chance that? Why not make it easy? Just do unto others as you would have others do unto you. How many people in so many ways have tried to get you to comprehend this message?

One love, one heart. Let's get together and feel all right. Life is very short. There is no time for fussing and fighting.

So I will ask you once again. Can't you see it my way as I try to see it your way? We can work it out.

Confucius, Buddha, Francis of Assisi, Mother Teresa, Henry David Thoreau, Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, Desmond Tutu, Dalai Lama. Different faces. Different races. Different places. Different times. But all with the same message.

When will we ever learn? But if we are ever going to make it, we must learn. There is no other alternative.

If we do not learn to live together, we will certainly die together.

Yes, we can.

Si,se puede.

Oui, c'est posible.

Ponder carefully the lives of Attila the Hun, Genghis Khan, Napoleon Bonaparte, Hitler and Saddam Hussein. Where are they now? We are all equal in the grave. The worms, they do not discriminate, they treat us all the same.