To 'love thy neighbor' in an augmented neighborhood

I’ve been frequenting www.avaaz.org and signing online petitions along with thousands of individuals from all over the world. I just signed one against “corrective rape,” a new hate crime that’s becoming common in Africa. I’m not usually prone to signing such appeals on the Internet, but upon looking at the victim’s photograph which accompanied it — a woman bruised all over who seemed as if she carried all the troubles of the world — there was something within me that felt the need to respond.

“Love thy neighbor.” This is what we have been taught. But what usually comes to mind is the obvious: love for one’s family members, friends, and actual neighbors — people we are directly affiliated with and are part of our day-to-day lives. In a situation where two people are drowning — your best friend and a complete stranger — of course you’ll do whatever you can to save your best mate first. That’s a given. You’ll dive in Baywatch-style — or even if you’re not a good swimmer, like me for example, you’d pull all your strength together, jump in the water, kick and flap your arms like mad to save your buddy. But what about the other fellow? Do you just leave him there? What significance does he have in your life? He’s just a stranger, so he’s not really a loss… or is he?

Is there something inside you that feels the need to respond to that stranger’s plea for help? I’m sure for many of us the answer is “yes.” What is it that lies within us that recognizes this unfamiliar person as someone worth our effort? What was that voice in me that prompted me to sign that petition to help an African corrective rape victim I have no direct relationship with, living in a neighborhood thousands of miles away from my own?

The recent tragedy in Norway where one person claimed the lives of nearly a hundred individuals has garnered an overwhelming response from concerned “neighbors” across the globe. USAtoday.com

Different people may call it various names: heart, soul, spirit, higher self, inner voice, the divine or “I” within. But what we call it is of little significance compared to the importance of recognizing its existence within us.

In our time, more and more people are awakening and becoming aware of the interconnectedness of all human beings. Not only that, we’re beginning to realize how mankind, nature and the cosmos are interrelated. And this is not just a religious view, nor is it just a ‘60s “hippie” way of thinking. Quantum mechanics and theories of relativity show how everything in the universe is connected at the subatomic or energy level.

If we come across a news report about someone who was brutally murdered, it disturbs us — probably not as much as it would if it happened to somebody close to us, but still, it affects a certain part of our being. The recent tragedy in Norway where one person claimed the lives of nearly a hundred individuals has garnered an overwhelming response from concerned “neighbors” across the globe. We’re recognizing more and more that we are all links that make up the big chain of humanity, and whatever a person does as one constituent is felt by the others and affects the entire chain. In this context, the whole world is becoming our neighborhood, and to “love thy neighbor” has stretched its meaning. It now begins to signify caring for all human beings that make up the whole of mankind.

This growing awareness is possibly why we have an increasing number of NGOs, human and animal rights activists, and volunteer workers around the globe. Pro-environment campaigns are also becoming popular everywhere and so are those that promote concern for future generations who will inherit the earth. Not only are we realizing our responsibility towards each other, but also our duties towards our planet and the succeeding generations who will be the future of humanity — take note, we are further augmenting our concept of “neighborhood” by including our “neighbors” who are not even born yet!

We have an increasing number of NGOs, human and animal rights activists, and volunteer workers around the globe. Avaaz.org

It’s not that we should forgo everything we have for others — besides, how does one truly give when he or she doesn’t have anything? It’s just that perhaps it’s time we looked beyond ourselves and our immediate affiliations and viewed the bigger picture. May we continue to expand our neighborhood to embrace all of our neighbors and do what we can to respond to their call even if they occupy a completely different side of the globe. Let us, in this sense, “love our neighbors.”

* * *

“You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one.” Are you one too? Let’s get in touch: katrinaanntan@yahoo.com and www.katrinaanntan.ph.