Nations are divided. We see it in the Middle East, in Northern Ireland and Africa. All over the world nations not only are striving against one another, but they are torn by strife within. It is a problem as old as humanity itself.

I was interested to read somewhere about the origin of the custom of handshaking. In ancient times, men always carried daggers. When a traveler met a man he didn't recognize, he automatically reached for his weapon, as did the stranger. The two would then circle each other until they knew what the situation called for. If the stranger was not a threat, both men would sheath their daggers. Then they would extend their right hands, their weapon hands, as a token of goodwill.

It appears to me that in today's world we are still circling each other as we always have, still checking each other out. The nations of the world are not ready to shake hands. They are divided. And communities are divided. America's melting pot has never quite realized it potential. We are not a solitary family but an amalgamation of peoples and traditions and even languages. Will we ever transcend our various ethnic, cultural and racial boundaries and truly become one people? If we do, it will be because men and women of good will are determined to have it so.

Ron Newhouse