Have you ever stopped to look at a room filled with candles of all different shapes, colors, and sizes? Some are tall and elegant, while others are small and stubby, yet when they are all lit, the warmth they cast on the walls is identical. This beautiful thought from Rumi reminds us that while our outward expressions, cultures, and personalities might look vastly different, the essence of what makes us human—our capacity for love, kindness, and connection—is exactly the same. We often get so caught up in the details of our differences that we forget we are all fueled by the same universal spark.

In our everyday lives, it is so easy to focus on the 'lamps' rather than the 'light.' We see different religions, different political views, or even just different ways of dressing and speaking, and we instinctively build walls. We categorize people into groups, thinking that because their vessel looks different from ours, their heart must beat to a different rhythm. But if you look closely at the compassion a stranger shows to a lost child, or the way a person finds peace in a quiet prayer, you realize the light of empathy is a universal language that needs no translation.

I remember a time when I was feeling quite lonely, sitting in a crowded park and feeling like an outsider. I was watching people from all walks of life passing by—a businessman in a sharp suit, a student with paint-stained hands, and an elderly woman feeding the birds. At first, I felt so disconnected from them, as if we lived in entirely different worlds. But then, I saw a small moment of shared joy when a toddler tripped and was immediately comforted by a stranger. In that tiny flicker of human tenderness, I realized that despite our different outward appearances, we were all sharing the same warmth of care. The lamps were different, but the light was unmistakably the same.

It can be a healing realization to realize that you don't have to understand every detail of someone else's life to connect with their soul. You don't need to match their lamp to appreciate their light. As you go about your day, I want to encourage you to look past the surface of the people you encounter. Try to find that common glow in a stranger's smile or a friend's kindness. When we focus on the light, the world feels a lot less divided and a lot more like home.