Weekly Newsletter: No Distinctions

​One of my fondest memories is traveling to Quito, capital city of Ecuador. The city impressed me with its modern buildings, beautiful views, and mild climate. Sitting at an elevation of 9,350 feet, the city straddles the equator. The average temperatures range from 65 to 68 degrees and around 50 degrees for a low all year around. Because of its high elevation and relative closeness to the ocean, clouds obscure the surrounding mountain tops on the majority of days.
 
One particular memory of the city has stayed with me. Because Quito straddles the equator, someone painted a line on the pavement to represent the equator so that a person could straddle the line and have one foot in the northern hemisphere and the other foot in the southern hemisphere. I straddled the line and enjoyed the experience, but I also know it was a manmade encounter. The Universe makes no distinction between north and south, east and west.
 
These manmade experiences may help us in life, but it can also set us at odds with one another. Countries go to war over boundaries, yet we know these boundaries are of our own making, and can be unmade if we so choose. The Universe sees one Earth and one people. It makes no distinctions and sets no boundaries. Let us remember that religion is a manmade institution, and some of its boundaries create discord — not peace.