The world today lacks unity. We see it in divisions within the family, between neighbors, between churches and communities, to give a few examples. It seems that polarization prevails over understanding. It is a consequence of individualism that takes over and pushes us to decide and act on our own behalf, seeking our own personal interest or prestige, devaluing others, their needs and their rights.
And despite this, it is possible to experience unity. It is a journey that always starts small, from an internal yes: yes to welcoming, yes to forgiving, yes to living for others. These are not big projects, but small loyalties that in the long run transform a life, a community, an entire environment. And when this happens, we realize that brotherhood stops being an ideal and becomes a visible reality and hope for everyone.
Martin Buber considers that unity is relationship. It is the space of encounter, the one that exists between the You and the I, a sacred place where differences do not disappear, but are mutually recognized. For him, unity arises when two realities allow themselves to touch each other, and not when one imposes itself on the other. This "between" can be understood as a space that welcomes diversity and which, precisely for this reason, becomes a source of communion. Therefore, for Buber, “All true life is an encounter.” (Ich und Du, 1923)
In the other, therefore, be it a friend, a family member or any person we meet on our journey, we discover the great "opportunity of relationship". In particular, the other "saves us" when a tiring situation seems to imprison us in our fears, allowing us to go beyond ourselves. Living to be united means walking together despite differences, transforming them into a treasure and not an obstacle. It is an invitation to move from simple coexistence to meeting where what belongs to each, in reciprocity, becomes new because it is shared and put into relation. Unity, understood in this way, is not the sum of the two of us, and it is not even fragility: it is a strength that generates the hope that there is still a tomorrow. Diversity is no longer disunity, but mutual wealth. It's feeling that what happens in the other resonates in me too. “Union does not consist in equality, but in harmony,” RabindranathTagore reminds us.
May we this month experience the joy, light, life, peace and hope that arise from lived unity.
If we are one, everything is perceived differently.