Broaden your mind and your horizons. Get out of your comfort zone. Familiarize yourself with the unfamiliar. And go to places you’ve never been.

It’s a big world with a lot of history. We’re all just visiting for a short time.

Take some time to get to know the other guests that you share the planet with, regardless of how different from you that they may appear at first glance.

We are the human race.

We have more in common with the other people alive on this planet today than any other species that has ever existed since the dawn of time.

We inhabit a giant rock that sustains us as we rocket through the vast expanse of space at 67,000 miles per hour.

We were all born on this rock and we will all likely die here as well.

Our time is now. Today. Here on this planet. The third rock from the sun.

This moment and every moment that passes is gone.

Forever.

The future is guaranteed to no one.

Get to know your neighbors. Get to know your planet. Locally. Internationally.

Yes, it can be scary and the world can be a dangerous place at times, but so can a bathtub or the bottom stair in a dark basement.

And you may just find when you get out there that the world we live in isn’t always as frightening as the one portrayed on television. And that not everyone who doesn’t come from where you come from or believe what you believe is out to get you.

Most people wish to live in harmony here. Most people would rather make a friend than an enemy.

Some of the best experiences you haven’t yet had are out there. As are some of the best friends you’ve never met.

Friends that may look or sound nothing like you. Friends that may come from a different part of the world. Friends that may have a completely different background. Or friends that may root for the opposing team.

Be open to the possibilities.

Because your friends are waiting. And some of the best experiences of your life await you as well.