We Are All Brothers

Recently, we celebrated Martin Luther King’ day. What a man to pay tribute too. One thing I can remember that in his dream speech he said that some day men of all races would put away their differences and walk together as brothers. I had an experience in my life in learning how a man of another race was my brother.

The year was 1968, and there were many racial tensions going on in this country. I was in boot camp in the United States Air Force. My new roommate was an African American man from the Deep South. When we first met neither one of us had much to say to each other. I felt uncomfortable living with him and I think the feeling was mutual. I realized early on that this situation needed prayer.

The Bible states, “Have we not all one father? hath not one God created us? (Mal. 2:10) I began to see that I did not need to feel uncomfortable with this young man. God was my father and he was also his father so there were no differences between us. I then needed to love him as a brother and as the child of God.

Soon I had an opportunity to share my love with him. One day our drill instructor reprimanded my roommate during an inspection because his white underwear had turned blue because he washed it with his black socks. I volunteered to wash his clothes for him so it would not happen again. He then said he would help me make my bed because my bed never passed inspection.

We began to form a friendship together. I loved the qualities of God he expressed such as kindness, humility, and unselfishness. These qualities had nothing to do with what color man is. One day he open up to me and told me I was the first white man to treat him kindly. He introduced me to one of his black friends and we became friends as well.

Once during in the middle of the night an African American man sabotaged my foot locker by poring shaving cream all over it right before our inspection. Of course the next day I was reprimanded by our drill instructor. The man brag to his black buddies on what he did to me. To my surprise, the other black men did not take his side. They told him I was their brother and an act against me would be an act against all of them as well.

God had brought us together. There was love between us. Even though we were of a different race we were brothers. I never saw my roommate again but will always remember the love in his heart.

Mary Baker Eddy in her main work Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures says, “With one Father, even God, the whole family of man would be brethren; and with one Mind and that God, or good, the brotherhood of man would consist of Love and Truth, and have unity of Principle and spiritual power which constitute divine Science.”(469:30-5)