It costs us to create the kind of world we want to live in

I want to live in the kind of world that says, "You are welcome here." 

I'm not just talking about refugees. I'm talking about people.  All people.

But creating welcome costs us at a personal level.  It requires us to see people as like us.

The lines and labels we use aren't carved into the Earth. They are human, temporary and incredibly changeable.

It costs us to create the kind of world we want to live in because we have to release the labels that we use to make people "other" instead of us. Words like transgender or Muslim or homeless.

We forget how much we hate it when people label us. We don't want to be redneck or privileged or liberal or religious right. We want to be Cathy...John...Chase...Bethany...

The people in the boats and at our offices and on the street corners have names.

Creating a world we want to live in means we put ourselves at risk. We let go of the labels we use to rationalize why we don't need to love someone. We learn the names.