“Until one has indeed become the brother of all, there will be no brotherhood.”

So wrote Fyodor Dostoyevsky in the character of the Elder Father Zosima in “The Brothers Karamazov.” He goes on to say, “For all men in our age are separated into units, each seeks seclusion in his own hole, each withdraws from the others, hides himself, and hides what he has, and ends by pushing himself away from people and pushing people away from himself … But there must needs come a term to this horrible isolation, and everyone will all at once realize how unnaturally they have separated themselves one from another.”

Forgive me if I am simple-minded. I do not understand why people must insist that only certain lives matter. Black lives, blue lives, veterans’ lives, U.S. citizens’ lives, gay lives, Muslim lives… the list goes on. As long as we go on separating ourselves into special interest groups that exclude the rest of the world, we will not find peace for either our own group, or for the world.

Perhaps we can learn from these further words of Father Zosima. “My friends, ask gladness from God. Be glad as children, as birds in the sky. And let man’s sin not disturb you in your efforts, do not fear that it will dampen your endeavor and keep it from being fulfilled, do not say, ‘Sin is strong, impiety is strong, the bad environment is strong, and we are lonely and powerless, the bad environment will dampen us and keep our good endeavor from being fulfilled.’ Flee from such despondency, my children! There is only one salvation for you: take yourself up, and make yourself responsible for all the sins of men. For indeed it is so, my friend, and the moment you make yourself sincerely responsible for everything and everyone, you will see at once that it is really so, that it is you who are guilty on behalf of all and for all.”

Powerful words, food for thought.