"imagine all the people, sharing all the world"

December 06, 2017

"imagine all the people, sharing all the world"

-John Lennon

“God made us all the same, all over the world. It doesn’t matter our skin color or how we look, because it is our spirits that make us unique and who we are.” Almost exactly three months ago, my bishop in the Mitcham Ward said these words to my fellow students and I. We had just arrived, late, to our first Sunday in our new London ward, and had been greeted by friendly faces: members of Asian, Hispanic, and predominantly African descent. Our bishop, an older Ghanaian man, gave us this welcome to his ward that ended up being a welcome to my entire experience on this program.

I’ve come to see my bishop as a very wise man for reasons other than just his ideas on the inherent sameness of people all over the world, but it was these remarks which have stuck with me the past three months. Our focus, since March in the prep class, has been on cosmopolitanism. It’s the idea that we “have obligations to others” and are all “the peoples of the earth” (Appiah). Coming from Greek, the word “cosmopolitanism” literally means citizens (polis) of the world (cosmos). I believe cosmopolitanism, then, really means that inherently, we are all the same; we are all spiritual beings, brothers and sisters, living on different parts of the globe but still connected. We have a responsibility to each other to love, and to protect, and to learn.

That being said, I don’t think we should all abandon our countries and cultures and ideals and live in one big, harmonious kumbaya circle. Part of what makes cosmopolitanism so vibrant and beautiful is the differences that we all contain. My first night in the London Centre, we traveled out to Big Ben. We walked around Londoners and heard their accents and giggled and squealed because we were so excited; we marveled at the architecture and their fashion and the double-decker buses. If every one of us was exactly the same, what would be the use in traveling or learning about other peoples? We are all the same in the idea that we are divine spirits and brothers and sisters, but we are vastly different in the ways that we live our lives and we practice our beliefs. This necessitates the need for respect and understanding, as well as freedom to let others do as they please and not infringe upon their cultures and ideals if they do not wish us to.

On that same first night, we hopped on a bus, slightly unsure of where it would end up taking us. We sat on the top, looking out the windows and feeling unashamedly giddy. We talked loudly and laughed even louder. Despite our obvious American-ness, a man turned around and began talking to us. He was French, living in London; he spoke seven languages; he’d worked and lived all over the world; he was the opposite of any of us, but yet, we still managed to feel a kinship. Two months later, we decided to try a new gelato shop down the street. As most of us were savoring flavors like pistachio or chocolate or even goat cheese, one of our party began to talk to the worker; he was Italian, had moved to London a year ago, and spoke halting English. It was his dream to pursue this business in gelato, and wanted to expand as far as America. His life and career were very different from any of ours, but somehow, we still felt closer to each other.

What do a Frenchman, and Italian, and an American girl all have in common? It’s almost like the beginning to a lame joke, yet in reality it’s one of the biggest truths of all. Despite our obvious differences- from age, to language, to culture- we are all human, all inherently divine and interrelated, and all just being who we are. It is these similarities which initially give us comfort, but in time, it is the differences which give us love and admiration and excitement.

I think that that is what originally drew me to London in the first place; the melting-pot of diversity and background shows how different peoples can all live in harmony and mutual friendship while still holding true to their cultures and experiencing others' as well. I have seen this throughout our studies and class activities, from museum visits to course readings to religious observance. We acknowledge the common ground, and then we celebrate the differences.

In our church, we believe in both the divine nature of each individual but also the uniqueness of each person. We believe that we are all brothers and sisters in God, and that we have a responsibility to everyone. In one week, I’ll be traveling to Germany; although I don’t know many people there, my sister was able to get in touch with a Latter-day Saint stranger to take us in. The interesting part, though, is that we don’t really feel like she is a stranger; we are united through our church, and through our beliefs, and that is enough to give us common ground. I believe that this is the apex of cosmopolitanism. It is our similarities- the same religion- that gave us comfort, but it is our differences- her country, knowledge, and experience- that really drew us to her and gave us a desire to travel.

And this doesn’t stop with one German women and my sister. All over the world, Latter-day Saints have a drive to love and serve each other, despite their race or background. Young adults leave for two years of their life to bring people truth and knowledge. Members donate money and time to help serve individuals in difficult circumstances. Individuals halt careers or other pursuits to take up leadership positions and bless the lives of others. As Latter-day Saints, we recognize and celebrate the commonalities but also the differences of each member, which is what I believe cosmopolitanism is all about.

Since living in London and traveling abroad, I truly believe I have felt more charity and love than at any other time in my life. More than ever before, I have been able to look at strangers and see them as children of God; but at the same time, I have also been able to love their uniqueness and cultural differences. The combination of these things has made me feel a greater responsibility and want to serve these people, wherever they may be. Because of this, I decided that it is my duty and my desire to serve a mission and to continue to meet and love other people, but also bring them the truth and gospel that I know can bless their lives. And that will only be a year and a half of my life; I will still have so much time to help my loved ones have the kinds of experiences that I have had, and have more of my own.

It is not enough to just travel and to see cool places. It’s not enough to meet people and eat delicious food. It is not enough to take a picture and look back on it fondly every couple of years. Cosmopolitanism means recognizing and respecting the differences of each of place you go to and each person you meet, but also understanding that we are all citizens of the same world and divine brothers and sisters.

As my bishop put it, nearly 14 weeks ago, it doesn’t matter what we look like or our race. We are all divine brothers and sisters, and yet, we are still different. Our personalities and our spirits help us experience wonder and joy and excitement, allow us to immerse ourselves in cultures, enable us to be unique and individual. We are all citizens of this big, beautiful world, but we are so lucky to each have the differences to make our universal citizenship vibrant and exciting.