By Paige Leigh Reist | Posted: August 13, 2019

For 30 minutes in July, Sunland Park, New Mexico, and Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, became one. Children and adults, both Mexicans and Americans, played on three bright pink teeter-totters that bridged the border wall between the two countries, forgetting for a moment the heavy social and political tension that’s surrounded the American-Mexican border in favor of a bit of fun and connection. 

The reaction was powerful. The project swiftly went viral, with news outlets all over the world reporting on this seemingly simple statement of community. 

The Teeter-Totter Wall was conceived by San Jose State interior design professor Virginia San Fratello and UC Berkeley architecture professor Ronald Rael, and was implemented in partnership with architecture firm Rael San Fratello. This isn’t Ronald Rael’s first intellectual and artistic foray into the social implications of border structures: he’s also the author of Borderwall as Archictecture: A Manifesto for the U.S.-Mexico Boundary. 

Although the border wall has been a hot topic in recent years, this project has been in the making since 2009. In an Instagram post showcasing the project, Rael wrote “The wall became a literal fulcrum for U.S.-Mexico relations and children and adults were connected in meaningful ways on both sides with the recognition that the actions that take place on one side have a direct consequence on the other side.” 

It’s human nature to connect

This project is a beautiful reminder that our nature as human beings is not hatred, separation, and violence, but in fact connection, playfulness, and brotherhood, no matter what kind of walls--physical, cultural, mental, historical--seek to separate us. When you give people the opportunity to connect, they embrace it, and we are reminded that we are so much more powerful together than we are when we are separate. We are reminded, also, that our actions don’t exist in a vacuum--they have a direct effect on those around us, just like they do when we’re on one end of a teeter-totter. 

There is ample archeological evidence that we’ve always been a communal species. Ancient burial sites suggest that we’ve been taking care of our sick, our elderly, and our differently-abled brothers and sisters since the beginning of time. As our communities grow into a more global scope, remember that compassion is in our nature, and that we have always celebrated our differences.

The good news is that you don’t have to assemble a Teeter-Totter Wall in order to encourage connection!

It’s all about friendship

We live in an increasingly multicultural world. The best way to fight xenophobia and encourage connection is to get to know your neighbors: not just the ones that look and speak like you, but the ones who are beautifully different than you, too. Reach out to your neighbors, the parents at your kids’ schools, the members of your church or spiritual community, fellow students, coworkers, or in any community that you are a part of, and make an effort to get to know them. You’re sure to end up with great new friends and a wider, more inclusive view of the world. 

Daryl Davis is an amazing example of how reaching out in friendship can overpower the forces of hate. He’s spent over 30 years befriending Ku Klux Klan members, and as a result, over 200 Klansmen have left the organization. The most remarkable aspect of this story: Daryl is black. In an interview with NPR, Daryl said, “If you spend five minutes with your worst enemy — it doesn't have to be about race, it could be about anything...you will find that you both have something in common. As you build upon those commonalities, you're forming a relationship and as you build about that relationship, you're forming a friendship. That's what would happen. I didn't convert anybody. They saw the light and converted themselves.”

Start with yourself

Compassion and connection require self-awareness, bravery, and authenticity. One of the best ways to nurture these qualities within yourself and have the tenacity to bring them forth in the name of social activism is to begin a meditation practice. This isn’t just feel-good stuff: studies suggest that meditation actually enhances the efficacy of the areas of your brain that are involved in emotional processing and empathy. Meditation makes you kinder. 

We live in a time that has some very unique challenges. We can connect with anyone around the world with a double-tap. Some of us have friends, coworkers, or even loved ones that we’ve never seen face-to-face. We have access to so much information, education, and ingenuity. This also means that we have a responsibility to try to understand and connect with those around us. Even if we are physically separate, each and every one of us can have an effect on how the world grows and changes--and it’s simply more fun if we do it together. Projects like the Teeter-Totter wall illustrate this beautifully. 

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and Art of Living have long been deeply involved in bringing peace across borders. Informed by the ancient Indian philosophy of Vasudhaiv Kutumbkam, meaning ‘the world is one family’, Gurudev has a vision of a peaceful and united world in which we all work together to further the journey of humanity. We invite you to be a part of that vision, and to embody love and acceptance in the face of hatred. 

As the great Maya Angelou wrote,

“We love and lose in China, 

we weep on England's moors, 

and laugh and moan in Guinea, 

and thrive on Spanish shores. 

We seek success in Finland, 

are born and die in Maine. 

In minor ways we differ, 

in major we're the same.” 

Paige Leigh Reist is a writer, editor, blogger, and creative writing instructor.