November is the time of the year when we pause to remember those who have sacrificed for their country. We have such a narrow view of things that most of us don’t see the irony in that statement. It’s not just our country – it’s our world, and if we spent more than a minute reflecting on that maybe these international conflicts would come to a final halt. We are all citizens of this world and we are all responsible to one another.

Global citizenry is more prominent than ever before in our history. Economies have crossed borders, information and knowledge are derived from all corners of the Earth, and advancements in science and technology are meant to benefit us all. Within this globalization is a duty to ensure that all people derive greater benefits than losses and that everyone is better off at the end of the day. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. Communities are polluted in the quest for oil, labour is taken grievous advantage of in third-world countries in pursuit of profit, and voices are raised in protest then silenced by those who have alternate agendas.

Those people half the world away with strange accents and different lives are not our adversaries. Our opponents are those who would destroy mankind’s chance at worldwide unity. We are people of this world with all its colour, all its suffering, and all its joy. We should stand together and claim ourselves to be the same. Guns, tanks, and all the weapons we use will not solve our issues. It will only leave us with sorrow and rage. We are not a country, we are a world.

Only when we truly view each other as brothers and sisters can we end global conflict.

Only when we see that all humans are entitled to the same basic rights, can we recognize ourselves in distant faces.

Only when we set aside our weapons, can we truly honour those who have fought.

War is not a sometimes necessary tool. We are fed propaganda to support back door interests and under the table dealings. War is not an ultimate instrument of peace. Media influences and mainstream culture train us to believe that they are the ultimate source of knowledge. War is not the final stand. Our governments jump into conflict not because the fight is worth fighting but because political influence deems it financially sound. War is the opposite of peace and leads to nothing but more war. We have been robbed of our sensibilities in the name of patriotism.

We share a world and it the duty of each one of us to leave it a better place for all those who inhabit it. When we strive to identify our commonalities rather than rush to point out our differences, we are unifying people instead of driving them apart. When we empathize with the suffering of others as opposed to manipulating their desperation, we are creating higher standards for everyone. When we help our neighbour we are helping ourselves, because if the world is a better place for one it’s better for all.

Remember in this time of reflection that love is better than hate, peace is more desirable than war, and it is our entire world.

Keri lives a peaceful existence in Boyle Street.