From a Distance

We Are All Earthlings

I’ve lived long enough to see how easily people divide themselves — by faith, race, politics, or the borders on a map. Every generation seems to believe its own differences are the deepest, but when you’ve walked this earth a while, you begin to see the pattern: humanity keeps forgetting where it came from.

If you go back far enough — beyond the flags, the languages, the rituals — spiritually speaking, we all come from the same place.

The three great faiths that shaped much of the Western world — Judaism, Christianity, and Islam — all trace their spiritual roots back to Abraham, the patriarch each honors as a father of faith. That’s not opinion; it’s shared history. Though they differ in how they understand God’s message, interpret divine law, or express devotion, their foundation is remarkably similar — like brothers from one family who grow up to have different lives, tastes, and paths, yet still share the same blood.

All three believe in one God, a Creator who is just, merciful, and all-powerful. They all believe in the importance of prayer, charity, and moral accountability. They all teach forgiveness, compassion, honesty, humility, and the sanctity of life. They all call for justice, respect for family, and care for the poor. The differences we argue about are mostly in emphasis — not essence.

Judaism values obedience and remembrance — keeping sacred traditions alive through family and community.
Christianity centers on love, grace, and forgiveness — the belief that faith can redeem and restore.
Islam emphasizes discipline, unity, and submission to the will of God — seeing order and devotion as the path to peace.

The Eastern Light

But the story of faith doesn’t belong to one lineage or one land. On the other side of the world, long before modern nations took shape, two ancient faiths were already forming the spiritual heart of the East: Hinduism and Buddhism. I’ve always admired that about India — how faith there isn’t a weekend obligation, but a way of breathing. It’s in the colors, the festivals, the family altars, the quiet prayers at sunrise, and the simple kindness shown to strangers. In a world obsessed with speed, India still makes time for reverence.

And though Hinduism and Buddhism began far from Abraham’s desert, their core truths reach the same destination. They share many of the same pillars — compassion, truth, humility, charity, and mindfulness. Both teach that our choices shape our destiny, that peace begins within, and that every life has divine worth.

They are among the oldest belief systems known to humanity, and their influence runs deep — especially in India, where spirituality is not confined to temples or books but woven into the rhythm of daily life. In India, faith breathes in the dawn prayers along the Ganges, in the scent of incense curling through doorways, and in the simple kindness between neighbors. It’s a place where devotion isn’t an appointment — it’s a way of being.

Hinduism teaches that the divine is vast and present in everything — in light, in water, in the beating of a heart. It reminds us that truth can take many forms and that unity can exist within diversity. Its concept of dharma — living rightly, fulfilling one’s purpose — mirrors the moral accountability found in every great faith. Its principle of ahimsa, or non-violence, remains one of the most noble ideas ever given to humanity.

Buddhism, born from that same ancient soil, focuses on compassion and understanding. It teaches that suffering is part of life, but peace is found through awareness, kindness, and letting go of anger. It reminds us that the real battle is within — to quiet the ego, to open the heart, and to live with gentleness toward all beings.

But if you strip away the names and rituals, the heartbeat is the same: love your neighbor, care for the weak, live honestly, seek peace, and honor the One who gave you life.

When I think about the world and all its differences, I sometimes hear the words of Bette Midler’s song “From a Distance.” If you don’t know this song, you should watch it on YouTube. “God is watching us,” she sings, “from a distance.” It’s not about separation — it’s about perspective. From a distance, you can’t see the borders, the arguments, or the colors of our skin. You just see people — one human family trying to make sense of this brief, beautiful life.

And maybe that’s how we’re meant to see each other too — from a distance, where everything that divides us fades into what unites us. Because we are brothers — every one of us — We are humans earthlings living on earth, whether we wear a cross, a kippah, a turban, or nothing at all.

We just focus on different parts of the same truth. Some hold tighter to rules, others to mercy. Some worship through ritual, others through service. But at the center of all of it is one Creator — one light shining through many windows.

And just like in any family, there are good sheep and bad sheep. Every faith has its saints and its sinners, its humble and its hypocrites. Sin is universal — no religion holds a monopoly on virtue. The struggle between good and evil runs through every human heart. What matters is not the label we wear, but how we live, how we treat others, and how honestly we face our own flaws.

When I look at the world today — divided, distrustful, and too quick to condemn — I can’t help but believe Abraham would be heartbroken. His faith was simple: one God, one covenant, one human family. That’s what he tried to pass on. And somewhere along the way, his children forgot they were related.

Maybe the world doesn’t need more arguments about who’s right — maybe it just needs more people willing to see the world the way that song reminds us to: from a distance.

Because the moment we start seeing each other that way again, the world will begin to heal.

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When you step back far enough, the connections become clear. The East and the West — the temples, churches, mosques, synagogues, shrines, and meditation halls — are all different paths leading toward the same light.

Whether you call that light God, Brahman, the Tao, or enlightenment doesn’t really matter. The message is the same: love, compassion, humility, and peace.

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One Human Family

So yes, we are all brothers.
Some of us pray facing Mecca, others bow before an altar, some meditate in silence, and others simply close their eyes and whisper gratitude to the universe. But we are all searching for the same thing — connection, meaning, and love.

Faith, at its best, doesn’t build walls. It builds bridges. It reminds us that what unites us is infinitely greater than what divides us. Every major religion begins with the same spark — a yearning for understanding and a call to live rightly.

If there is one lesson life has taught me, it’s that goodness has no single language. You can find it in a Hindu temple at dawn, in a Christian church on Sunday, in the quiet chant of a Buddhist monk, in a Muslim’s daily prayer, or in a stranger’s act of kindness when no one is watching.

The details differ, but the melody is the same.

Maybe the time has come to remember that we are not enemies, nor strangers. We are the same family — scattered across the earth, wearing different clothes and speaking different tongues, but made of the same dust and guided by the same light.

We are, and always have been, brothers.