Believe what feels right to you, not what someone tells you is right to believe. What better guide do we have than our own soul? Only by adhering to that which stirs within us will we be fulfilled. I have friends who are Christian, Protestant, Jewish, Muslim, and Buddhist. Their religious affiliation has no bearing on my relationship with them. I respect their beliefs and they respect mine. One commonality between them, they are all good people.

The major religions of the world preach peace and compassion as a fundamental principle. Be a good person. Demonstrate kindness. Help people when the opportunity arises. If you can do this, it does not matter if you believe that extraterrestrials created humanity simply to entertain themselves. That said, it may not be wise to bellow such a belief. On that point, it is not wise to bellow any belief. Harmony is achieved through tolerance and respect.

We are connected and aligned by way of the commonalities of the human experience. Regardless of beliefs, we all share many of the same hopes and dreams — we all want peace, opportunities that will help us provide for our families, freedom, the safety of friends and loved ones, the overall wellbeing of humanity and our planet. These things benefit every single person on earth, and thus striving for them is our universal purpose.

Of course, we are unlikely to ever see such collaboration on a global scale. What is in our control, however, is our personal approach to interacting with others. In considering the wellbeing of humanity, all we can do is bring our best self to the people with whom we interact each day. Hopefully, doing so will inspire those we encounter, who may then bring the best version of themselves to their network of friends, family, and colleagues, and on it goes. Cynics may scoff at the idea, claim that such kindness will make us vulnerable, warn that you’ll be taken advantage of. So when it comes to individual relationships are we supposed to live as skeptics? Worried all the time about other’s true motives? That is not the way I care to live. I would prefer to embrace others, guided by the assumption, which isn’t even a conscious thought, that they are good at heart. Be kind and good to others and I think many will pay that goodness forward. That’s it.