More than twenty-five years back, the Berlin Wall fell,
Wounds are deep, recovery is slow, and scars we can still tell;
All over the world, other walls and wired borders continue to thrive and exist,
Across all continents, divisions made by humanity itself subsist.
Then we have the softer walls which continue to be invisible,
Human prejudices prevail, sprouting walls which are terrible;
Hatreds rage anew, based on our religion and the color of our skin,
Women face a glass ceiling, their cries of anguish lost amongst the din.
Gated communities, protected precincts and high security malls,
Castes, economic disparities, internet accessibility, the unseen firewalls;
Trade protectionism, citizenship, human migration and the languages that we use,
Levels of literacy and healthcare, financial dealings where stakeholders face abuse.
These are only some of the soft walls we have managed to build up over time,
Pulling these down would not be easy, these are not made up of bricks and lime;
These are made up of prejudices, collective egos and a narrow sense of identity,
To tear these down we need empathy, love, compassion, peace and positivity.
(Related Post: https://ashokbhatia.wordpress.com/2013/11/01/black-is-also-beautiful)
ashokbhatia 
Great post! I love your emphasis on empathy. Incredibly important. When you open yourself to another perspective and are able understand where someone else is coming from, you are able to act more compassionately and responsibly. Personally, this is one of the biggest motivating factors for my travels outside of the US. I want to visit everywhere so I can meet different people, experience different cultures, and remind myself how beautiful all our differences can be.
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Thank you for your thoughtful comment. Yes, interacting with different cultures and visiting different places does open oneself up.
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How can man reach the stars, if they cannot reach each other ?This simple messageis discussed with intelligence is the post here. The key to the solution is also given very lucidly. It is upto us to use that key.
I thank the writer for this.
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A thought-provoking comment. Thank you!
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Reblogged this on ashokbhatia and commented:
On the occasion of International Peace Day, time to revisit this string of thoughts.
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