At a yard sale a few years ago, I found an interesting little piece of history.

It was a small history book written and published a few years before World War II.

Since it was only 10 cents, I decided to buy it.

In the cover of the book was some doodling, and there was also  the name “Johnny” written over and over again by a girl claiming how excited and happy she was that he asked her to the big dance.

However, the first thing I noticed about the book was how the text ended with the most ominous passage I had ever read.

It talked about how another world war was very unlikely and how everyone could trust in the idea of a brighter future.

How sad.

The second thing I noticed, though, was something I had always known before but had never really given any thought to. Certainly, I had not considered its impact upon my life, if I was to ever fully accept it.

Page after page, picture after picture and  generation from generation, they were all different, yet they were somehow all the same.

Another page included a newspaper clipping about a group of seniors from a high school who had graduated the year before and had received scholarships to go to college.

The caption stated how proud the owner of the book was of these young men.

While reading through this book, it dawned on me — we are all the same.

We all share in the same fears, hopes and desires.

I gained a new appreciation for what the human nature really is and how it is universal.

What a simple yet extremely profound truth.

Regardless of size, color of skin, religion, sexual orientation, political ideology or any other dividing line that society often uses to draw distinctions between people, at the end of the day, we are all the same.

However, I am not saying major differences do not exist between individuals.

What I am saying is what we share — our common humanity — is far greater than any difference we may have.

Through every generation, on every continent, there lies a basic set of ideas which make up what it means to be universally human.

We all want respect, and we want others to treat us fairly.

Also, everyone wants to be cherished and loved. No one wants to be alone.

Finally, everyone wants to be understood. We all want to believe that people understand and accept us for who we are.

By knowing this truth and embracing this truth wholeheartedly, it will change the way we view ourselves and others for the better.

We will develop proper respect for those older than us, and we will look at the poor and homeless with new eyes of compassion.

After all, we are all the same.

When we see a difference between humans, whatever that difference may be, we will realize that our common humanity, which runs deep in all of us, is far greater and more important than any difference.

Now, is this the one simple truth out there that could lead to world peace?

It might not, but it certainly has the power to do so.

So, the next time individuals encounter someone who, on the outside, is the complete opposite of themselves, remember that, on the inside, they are both the same because they both are human.

BY DAVID WOODSON

Newscast Editor

dwoodson@ius.edu