Nonprofit organizations have been helping millions of people globally who could not survive otherwise, without food, water and shelter. According to global issues.org, over three billion people, almost half the world, live on less than $2.50 a day. At least 80 percent of humanity lives on less than $10 a day and more than 80 percent of the world’s population lives in countries where income differentials are widening.

“We are responsible for the world in which we find ourselves, if only because we are the only sentient force, which can change it.”  – James Baldwin

Every man does not live on bread alone. A global issue has been forgotten behind poverty, sickness, and hunger. An issue that starts wars, causes suicide, and destroys societies. That issue is cultural divides. What makes humans uniquely different from other species is our need for relationships for survival.

Cultural Divides

So, what is cultural divides? Cultural divides are a boundary in a society that separates communities whose social, economic structures, conventions, opportunities for success, are so different that they have completely different psychologies (Prentice). The barrier is caused by cultural differences that hinder interactions, and harmonious exchange between people of different cultures (Martin).

If civilization is to survive, we must cultivate the science of human relationships – the ability of all peoples, of all kinds, to live together, in the same world at peace.” –Franklin D. Roosevelt 

We need to identify these cultural divides in order to bridge the gaps that create hate of another group based on their cultural traditions such as religion, race, and socioeconomic status.

Racial tension in Ferguson, the Charleston shooting, and University of Missouri are examples of the racial divides prevalent in the United States right now. The immigration crisis in Europe shows the unwelcomeness of different cultures to immerse into other societies- “This is our land” vs. “Their land”. The misunderstanding of ISIS and ethnic and religious related slurs about Islam and the Muslim religion shows the cultural divide we create and categorize people under based on one’s geographical location or religion rather than who they are as a person. Tribes at war based on cultural differences all come back to our human need for relationships, understanding, and need to bridge these cultural divides.

How do we bridge the divide? When Christians, Agnostics, Muslims, Atheists, Buddhists and Hindu’s from all over the world can sit at a table and discuss their differences with understanding, interest, curiosity, and love – that is when we will begin to build a bridge mending segregation, slurs, and cultural divides. That is when relationships will mend, save lives, and stop wars.

We need to spark change, and change begins and ends with the transformation of the heart.