We are connected. All of us. The world is our home. The division, the fighting, the suffering, the joy, the love, the hope—all of this is our place.

Each day we have a choice. We can get up and act out to take down those around us. We can use our past suffering to fuel our hatred and rage to destroy all around us. We can perpetuate the dysfunction and create another generation of children who are frightened and traumatized by our actions.

I’m now going into the seventh week of working from home due to the Coronavirus pandemic, and I miss human interaction with those outside my family. Most of my days are spent with my kids and wife, and our connections with non-family members are mostly through the phone and Zoom conference calls. We also spend time talking with our neighbors, but I miss some of the little things: Calling a friend up and making plans to have lunch or dinner together, for example.

“No man is an island” is a famous quote by John Donne.