There are so many reasons it is hard to find common ground in our divided world.  The differences seem to outweigh the similarities in so many aspects of our lives.  But we need to remember how much we have in common just by being human.  Each of us is born of a mother and arrives in much the same way, whether in a hospital, at home, in a car or a tent or wherever the child decides to come out and meet the world.  It happens in times of war as in times of peace, at any time of the day or night.

Many of us have mothers who have loved us from the moment of conception, while others are born to mothers that may not even be able to take care of their children for various reasons.  But all of us have been born of women.  We all begin life naked and dependent on our caretakers whomever they turn out to be.

So, we all grow up in different circumstances and places to be cared for, or not, according to the people charged with raising us.  We are many different colors, shapes and sizes, but we are all human beings with the same basic needs.

The reasons why we are so divided has to do with the larger world around us.  The leaders of countries and the most wealthy people are the ones calling the shots and they are not necessarily the ones who have cared for their own children, let alone all children.  Women leaders have often been the ones who care more for the whole of the population they serve.  However, having power over the lives of their constituencies requires a deep concern for all the people that are served, not just the rich and powerful.

Finding common ground, it seems to me, is realizing that the way we treat each other on a daily basis has everything to do with the degree of commonality regular people can find and build upon.  It is in coming together that we find common ground.  And the men and women who are the mothers and fathers are the ones to show the way.  They are the ones who will find the common ground needed to make our world a more equitable place for all of us to live.