​What Unites Us…

“There is more that unites us, than divides us.” – Amazon Prime Movie, This is Christmas.
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During the Christmas holidays I watched a movie, a romantic comedy, that stated people are more united than divided. Could this be true? 

The movie takes place in the UK. The main character, Adam, actor Alfred Enoch, rides the same train to work into the city daily, with the same passengers.  All of them strangers to each other, he is intrigued and curious and begins to wonder about them. Who are these daily riders, what do they do, and what is their story?  One pretty gal gets his attention, of course, and becomes interested in her. 

It’s natural to be interested and curious about people, their lives, their story, why they dress the way they do and about their overall character. We make up our own stories about them. At the airport or any other crowded place where we’re surrounded by strangers, and have time to observe, we naturally begin to wonder about the people around us. Some of us travel, join groups, read books, and watch movies for the same reason. We wonder about the lives of others and what we have in common or how we differ. 

In the movie, Adam decides to prove the concept of being united more than divided to himself and to his business partner, another curious young man in his office. Adam owns a marketing company, and his thinking is creative and curious. He decides to invite the train people, who have one thing in common, riding the train daily, to a Christmas party. One morning, standing in the aisle of the train he presents the idea of the party for the train passengers and asks for help planning it. At first no one responds, except for the pretty girl, of course. In a few days, they begin talking to each other on the train and about the party and how they can contribute. Their stories begin to merge, connections develop, relationships are started, and their lives begin to evolve together.  

What unites us? There is much that brings us together in our physical lives, and in our beliefs, feelings, and desires. Here is a short list: the desire for health, security, connections, beauty, pleasure, family, sports, knowledge, travel, technology, peace on Earth, love for the arts including music, theater, dance, paintings, fashion, cuisine, and our personal beliefs of religion, and politics. There is much that unites us. And there are a variety of groups to unite with. Overall, we have much in common as a human species. We have the desire for happiness and hope for the future. 

The narrator in the movie asked: “Do you ever wonder who they really are? The people down the street, their half familiar faces in your local coffee shop or those who sit in the opposite seat on the train. Aren’t you just a little bit curious?” He believes that, as people, there is more that unites us than divides us.

Recently pastor Ashley Wooldridge, in his Sunday message talked of being "united" and suggested we use the word as a guide for this coming year. One thing I know for sure . . . what we think of continuously, we can create in our lives. Let’s be the thought of unity. After all, "there is more that unites us, than divides us."
 
Happy New Year! 
With love,
Hilda