One

Last week on my birthday, I saw U2 perform at The Sphere in Las Vegas. It was the best show I have ever seen. At the end of the song “One” Bono said, “Love each other, it’s a command, not a suggestion.” Interestingly, I had received an email from a team member the day before telling me about their experience at Kimray—which is an example of exactly what Bono was talking about.

In “One”, Bono sings:
One love, one blood
One life, you got to do what you should
One life with each other
Sisters, brothers
One life but we’re not the same
We get to carry each other
One

There is a lot there.

There is a unity in our humanity. We are connected. We are bound to one another. We are one in the sense that we are tied to each other by our humanity and our need for community.

There is diversity in our humanity. We are not the same. Diversity is not about value, because our value is equal. Diversity is about the uniqueness present in each person and the way that difference makes the community stronger.

There is a responsibility in our humanity. Our participation in the community of human beings requires that we do the right thing. When necessary, we have the privilege of carrying each other. We GET to.

What’s not there is agreement.

There is rarely complete agreement among humans. Our diversity of experience, education, and circumstance commits us to seeing and feeling differently. Much of the time, this is good. If we all had the same view, our community would be myopic and 2 dimensional. Diversity gives us depth and opportunity.

However, sometimes when we disagree, it causes people to disrespect each other. Whether it is out of frustration or ignorance, people can be cruel to those they see as different. When we use difference as a way to devalue others, it is wrong.

There is another thing that happens sometimes which destroys unity and causes people to devalue each other. We sometimes believe that if someone disagrees with us, they can’t love us. This is a lie that hurts everyone it touches.

Unity is not sameness. Unity is not complete agreement. Unity is the choice we make to care for others because of their humanity—not their looks or race or beliefs or actions. It is easy to love and care for people who look and act like you. True love, true human unity, is best demonstrated when you care about someone who is very different from you.

So, the day before my birthday and the day before I saw U2 perform, I received an email from a team member at Kimray who was willing to be vulnerable and take the risk of telling me their story. I won’t share the story here as it is not mine to tell, but I will tell you a part that I love. They told me, at one point, someone in their immediate team had disagreed with them and told them so.

Many times, that is a recipe for disaster and for hurt. In this case though, the other person made this team member feel seen and understood. That is the secret. We can disagree and still care for each other. Agreement doesn’t equal acceptance, and simply denying that I don’t see the world as you do is shallow and prevents any true connection.

The command is to love, not to agree. The goal is unity, not homogeneity. The choice is to care, not to ignore or dismiss.

I’m glad I get to be in a community where we can be unique, where we can disagree, where we can challenge each other—all while we experience unity, being valued, and being cared for. We only have one life with each other. Using our brief time to value and carry each other is the Bison Way.