There are days when I read/watch the news, and afterwards, I feel like I have lost some faith in humanity. The negativity can suck the life out of you. I wonder how people can be so cruel to each other and how such horrible things can happen to good people.

Then I remind myself – People are inherently good. 

Traveling has verified this for me time and time again.

People are always willing to help us for nothing in return, except acceptance and kindness.

Humans all want the same thing.

We Want our families to be healthy and cared for and we want to be loved and to be happy.

Every time I travel, the truth behind these quotes is more and more evident.

10 Inspirational Quotes about Humanity:

• We may have different religions, different languages, different colored skin, but we all belong to one human race. We all share the same basic values. – Kofi Annan

 

• Be a good human being, a warm hearted, affectionate person. That is my fundamental belief. – Dalai Lama

 

• If you judge people, you have no time to love them. – Mother Teresa

 

• We must all learn to live together as brothers or we will all perish together as fools. Because of our involvement in humanity we must be concerned about every human being. – Martin Luther King Jr

 

• Love life and life will love you back. Love people and they will love you back. – Arthur Rubinstein

 

**Keep reading below to see how my time in Andorra helped me believe the truth behind these quotes**

• This is my creed: Happiness is the only good; reason the only torch; justice the only worship, humanity the only religion, and love the only priest. – Robert Green Ingersoll

 

• Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty.–  Mahatma Gandhi

 

• Our human compassion binds us the one to the other – not in pity or patronizingly but as human beings who have learnt how to turn our common suffering into hope for the future. – Nelson Mandela

 

• No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite. – Nelson Mandela

 

• The bond of our common humanity is stronger than the divisiveness of our fears and prejudices. – Jimmy Carter

 

So how did Andorra prove these quotes to be true?

Andorra? You mean the little country between Spain and France? What made it so special?

Let me set the scene.

I have my feet propped up, drinking a glass of red wine, and watching the best tv. Well, it’s not really tv. I am sitting on the balcony in the tiny apartment where we are house-sitting in one of the most unique towns I have ever been to…. Andorra la Vella, Andorra – just watching the world go by. As I am sitting here in a place so different from any place I have ever been, I am thinking about how similar people really are to one another – despite race, ethnicity, language, sexual orientation, etc.

It’s dark out, but I can see the mountains peeking over the apartment buildings that line our little street. The breeze works its way through the maze of buildings to lightly blow my hair and give some relief from the heat of the day. It’s quiet, but I can hear the cars and motorcycles driving below and it acts as background music to the stories that are playing out on each balcony across the way.

Balcony Views

On one balcony, there is laundry out on a drying rack from earlier in the day. I have never seen a person out and the shades are drawn, but the laundry remains as a sign of life and normalcy.

Occasionally, a gentleman comes out on another balcony, in his underwear, to smoke and look around. He seems oblivious to the fact that people can see him. By the time my eyes make it back up to him, he is nowhere to be seen.

On the balcony below, the shades are open, and I can see multiple people playing Twister inside. They have been in and out all night, talking, drinking, smoking and generally just chilling. It seems like a party I would go to at home, minus the twister (I don’t think I am flexible enough for that anymore).

Just below, a middle-aged woman sits on her balcony in the dark. In one hand she has a wine glass, in the other a cigarette. She is talking to an older woman sitting on the couch just inside the door. They have been talking for what seems like hours, unaware of their surroundings.

It’s like watching a movie.

On the next balcony over, another middle-aged woman is leaning over her railing, watching the cars and people on the street below. A very good looking, shirtless guy walks out to talk to her. He appears to be in his 20’s. I can’t tell if they are arguing or just having a lively conversation. She gently touches his chest and shoulder. Are they lovers or mother and son? It’s hard to tell and the suspense keeps me entertained for a while. I never found out. Maybe I will learn the answer tomorrow.

By now it’s midnight. People are passing on the street below and there are still cars driving by. It is so lively for being so late, I think to myself. That’s when I realize I am not at home.

I got lost in the familiarity of people just being people and I forgot where I was. How could a place so far away and different from home feel so familiar?……it’s the people.  

The Vibe

Walking around Andorra during the day, people showed affection to one another, openly. Lovers were holding hands, snuggling on benches, and kissing. Kids would randomly hug their parents.

I heard lots of laughter and saw families having fun together simply from just BEING together.

Chris and I were walking along the river (which runs right through the middle of town) and we walked by Parc Central. There is a huge playground there and at MIDNIGHT, families were out with their kids playing. Not just one family, but lots of families. It was heartwarming to see families spending such quality time together – no phones, no computers, no tv.

You may say…well, people are happy and affectionate in other places too. That’s true, but there is a vibe or a feeling you get in Andorra that I can’t put into words.

It seems like a place you belong to. It seems like a place where EVERYONE belongs.

Andorra really values community and it is very evident during the month of July. Every year there is a Cirque de Solei show that comes to Andorra for one month. It is a special performance that can only be seen in Andorra. The best part…. it’s FREE. Anyone in the town (or surrounding town) can enjoy it, no matter what your financial situation is. It was an amazing experience to be under a tent, by the river, with hundreds of people enjoying an amazing spectacle.

Now that doesn’t happen everywhere 🙂

So, the moral of this story is people want the same basic things everywhere! Next time you travel, or are out and about, take a second to look around and people watch.

I bet you will see all types of people just being human!

You might just reaffirm your belief in humanity…… as I did.

 

*Random side note: If you want to listen to a song to make you happy and reaffirm your belief in humanity check out one of my faves:

Ed Sheeran – “What Do I Know?