SHOULD WE RELATE?

photo by Bill Ray for Time/Life

Look at these guys. There is not a single thing I can relate to about them other than the fact that they are homo sapiens. This does not mean they must be bad men. I wish them no harm.

The question then being, is it wrong to feel less concerned about a group that you can't relate to in your personal life? Does it make you less of a good person? Is it a symptom of cultural egocentricity? 

For example, two suicide bombers killed 43 people in Beirut, Lebanon the day before the ISIS attacks in Paris.

by Reuters

Yet when the next day Paris was attacked, the tragedy in Beirut was all but forgotten. Condolences from around the world went to France.

from The Atlantic Magazine

Is it because the French look like us? Is it because we can relate more to a European lifestyle than a Middle Eastern lifestyle? Would that be wrong of us if that were true?

from Voz Iz Neias

I once reminded a 6 foot 4 inch male friend that his experience of walking down the street was completely different from my 5 foot 1 inch female experience. I don't think we really can walk in anyone else's shoes. But we can and should try to imagine.

Would I feel comfortable walking into some place filled with those biker guys? After all, we're all human. No way. I feel comfortable for the most part in my town and the region I live in. Is that a wrong feeling?
It's wrong if it becomes racism and/or xenophobia. 

Yes, we have differences. Yes, those differences can scare us. Yes, it can be disastrous when different cultures collide. I sadly don't think our human natures will ever move towards homogeneity. What we must do is fight to keep empathy and compassion alive on this planet.