Difference: To Those Who Hate

You don’t have to like
those who seem different from you,
but you would be happier
if you did.

Your anger is only a shield
that covers your fear,
the urge to be rid of
all who seem to threaten
your sense of identity.

But it is YOU
who built this wall around you,
brick by brick,
borrowing ignorance and prejudice
from those around you,
until you see yourself only
as this wall that separates you
from the rest of humanity.

What if you refrained
from pushing away
all that you don’t understand?

And what if you refrained
from allowing your inner fears
to drive your outer behavior?

What if you began to relax your grip
on how you have shaped yourself,
and, bit by bit, shifted your focus
from how they are different from you,
to how you have made yourself
different from them?