The world is not as vast as it once seemed:
the turbulence of crossing an ocean may last
for only hours instead of months,
a voice may travel across the country
and be heard as clear as if it were in the same room,
a letter can traverse state lines in mere
moments rather than weeks.
We can hear and see each other ever more clearly,
independent of the physical distance between us,
but
to see and to hear each other is meaningless
if we are unable to touch and be touched.
We must learn more of our neighbors
than what they look like, what language they speak,
what food they eat, what their music sounds like–
The access to that knowledge is more than stimulus;
we have the means to learn each other’s souls
and we must, for no matter how many miles
stretch between us, we are all neighbors and
growing closer every day.
narinda heng 