Racism is the worst mental illness amongst us all. It metastasizes in our hearts and spreads throughout our lives hurting, often destroying, our sisters and brothers whose skins are of a different color than ours. But if we were to close our eyes and open our hearts, we would embrace them. "Come, join us for dinner. Tell us how your day was," we would say. All 8 billion of us would have a feast. Earth, the only home we all have, would no longer know wars, only peace. We would care and share. Generosity would supplant genocide. All air and water would be clear and toxic-free. With glee, we all would celebrate our ultimate freedom:  the right to be our real selves, helping, not harming, all others. There would be no weapons, no weeping over other lives killed, no artificial boundaries despots use to keep us desperate and distant from others whom we love. We do not have to die to incur the same noxious fate. Open your eyes and hearts to see and feel we are one.

TOD HOWARD HAWKS