We are more alike, my friends, than we are unalike.

As humans, I believe that we often find little to no difficulty in quickly recognizing differences between ourselves and others, and our judgment of these differences creates a sort of organized ranking system from which some of us draw a part of our identity and self-worth. This skin tone is better than that one; the religion of those people is inferior to that of ours; my gender is more powerful than yours; our way-of-life is superior to theirs. It can be easy to fall into the routine of judging others and finding security and stability in your reasoning. After all, people are different, right?

One of my main motivations for applying to serve in the Peace Corps (aside from the simple desire to help others) is that I wanted to experience something different. As someone who had spent the first twenty-three years of his life in Northern California, I was excited to venture far from home and begin something fresh and completely new.

Upon arriving here in Mali, I, like most people, instantly noticed the strangeness and unfamiliarity in the physical environment, climate, animals, activities, and people that surrounded me. This, I initially thought, is the different kind of life I had imagined. As my first several weeks passed, however, I began to recognize something that had, up to that point, almost entirely escaped me. In observing the Malian people around me each day—men, women, children—I started to see many similarities emerge from beneath the glaring differences that had first seemed so abundant and overwhelming.

What I saw were children playing in the streets, lost in laughter and the joy of youth; friends greeting each other in the market, sharing in a moment of genuine connection. On many occasions, I saw people come together to help a stranger in need, and on one unfortunate day, I witnessed a family gather to offer strength and support to a woman mourning the loss of her young daughter. I saw values being taught and put into action, and the behavior of people clearly dedicated to their faith. I saw compassion and kindness; I saw humanity.

Years ago, I remember reading a poem called “Human Family”, by Maya Angelou, which focuses on the many differences that exist between people all over the world. What struck me the most about this poem was the final line, which captures Angelou's belief perfectly: “We are more alike, my friends, than we are unalike.”

Since being in Mali, a country that is very different than the United States (and many other areas of the world), I have seen the truth in Angelou's words. We are alike; we do share common values, experiences, hopes, fears, and dreams with people everywhere. Spend time considering the differences between people, genders, countries, religions, etc., but set aside more time to focus on ways in which we are alike. You might just discover a feeling of comfort in knowing that you share something special with the rest of the world.