Dear Alla, / / I kiss you on the cheek! / I hope you're well! / Thank you so much for that reflective, thoughtful blog post! / "People tried to escape at all costs from such a terrible and innocent death. Some people simply jumped... from the high-rise of the burning towers, while others ran to the roof, hoping to be evacuated by helicopters." / "It taught a lot to the survivors. Their life was divided into before and after. They survived this, rethought their true values." / "Many realized that they did not live for a career, money and other things, but... for the sake of family, friends and relatives." / All, very moving, true, I find. / "The monument to the victims of the September 11, 2001 attacks was erected in Kiev on a square on the corner of Mechnikov, Pervomaisky and Pechersky descent streets." / I didn't know about this monument; I took good note of it. / What did this tragedy teach me? / That, once again, like so many other things, big and little, that went on, that are going on in the world / - In the end, we're all sisters and brothers, sharing the same big house / - We should put emphasis on all that we have in common with others, in the world, instead of on differences between us and others / What do we have in common with others, in the world? / The Universal Declaration of Human Rights begins like this: / The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is a milestone document in the history of human rights. Drafted by representatives with different legal and cultural backgrounds from all regions of the world, the Declaration was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in Paris on 10 December 1948 as a common standard of achievements for all peoples and all nations. It sets out, for the first time, fundamental human rights to be universally protected and it has been translated into over 500 languages. / "Preamble / Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world, / Whereas disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of mankind, and the advent of a world in which human beings shall enjoy freedom of speech and belief and freedom from fear and want has been proclaimed as the highest aspiration of the common people, / Whereas it is essential, if man is not to be compelled to have recourse, as a last resort, to rebellion against tyranny and oppression, that human rights should be protected by the rule of law, / Whereas it is essential to promote the development of friendly relations between nations, / Whereas the peoples of the United Nations have in the Charter reaffirmed their faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person and in the equal rights of men and women and have determined to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom, / Whereas Member States have pledged themselves to achieve, in co-operation with the United Nations, the promotion of universal respect for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms, / Whereas a common understanding of these rights and freedoms is of the greatest importance for the full realization of this pledge, / Now, Therefore THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY proclaims THIS UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS as a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations, to the end that every individual and every organ of society, keeping this Declaration constantly in mind, shall strive by teaching and education to promote respect for these rights and freedoms and by progressive measures, national and international, to secure their universal and effective recognition and observance, both among the peoples of Member States themselves and among the peoples of territories under their jurisdiction. / Article 1. / All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood. / Article 2. / Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. (…)" / Despite the fact that, yes, we have differences, when it comes to race, colour, sex, gender, language, religion, philosophy, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status / - We were all born basically good human beings, I believe / - We're all simple persons, each with a mind, personality, beliefs, convictions, values, desires, needs (including sexual ones, of course), interests, tastes, qualities (or traits), talents, past, education, achievements, dreams, a heart, soul, and body / - We all (or most of us) value (or somewhat recognize the importance of) / What is called the Golden Rule / "Treat others as you would like others to treat you" / Temperance, Good temper, Ambition, Curiosity, Frugality, Industry, Contentment, Continence / Courage, Patience, Perseverance, Persistence, / Fair-mindedness/Fairness, Tolerance, Honesty/Integrity/Sincerity/Truthfulness / Respect, Self respect, Humility/Modesty, Politeness, Unpretentiousness, Friendliness, Sportsmanship / Gentleness/Goodness/Kindness, Generosity, Forgiveness, Compassion / Acceptance, Altruism, Assertiveness, Attention, Autonomy/Independence, Awareness, Balance, Benevolence, Calmness, Cautiousness, Charity, Cleanliness, Commitment, Confidence, Conscientiousness, Consideration, Cooperativeness, Courteousness, Creativity, Dependability, Determination, Diligence, Discernment, Empathy, Endurance, Entrepreneurship, Equanimity, Ethics/Morality, Faithfulness/Fidelity/Loyalty, Firmness, Flexibility, Flourishing, Foresight, Freedom/Liberty, Gratitude, Helpfulness, Honor, Happiness, Hope, Hospitality, Humanity/Humanness, Humor, Impartiality, Intuition, Inventiveness, Justice, Knowledge, Logic, Mercy, Mindfulness, Moderation, Nonviolence, Openness, Optimism, Order/Orderliness, Originality, Peacefulness, Prudence, Realism, Reason, Remembrance, Resilience, Responsibility, Restraint, Risk taking, Self-reliance, Sensitivity, Service, Sharing, Solidarity, Stability, Tactfulness, Tenacity, Thoughtfulness, Tranquility, Trustworthiness, Understanding, Vigilance, Wisdom / - We're all part of something much bigger than us, little rings part of a long chain, in space and time, called humanity. / - We all (or most of us) had, have a family, grandparents, parents, sisters or/and brothers, daughters or/and sons, friends. / - We all (or most of us) cherish education, health, happiness, freedom, peace, safety, work, satisfaction, success in our endeavors, self-actualization, well-being, getting to live a meaningful life, affection, warmth, friendship, love. / If 9/11 makes us better human beings, whether we live in Ukraine or in any other country / If 9/11 makes us put emphasis on all that we have in common with others, in the world, instead of on differences between us and others / It will have served a constructive, positive purpose; it's up to us to make sure that it serve a constructive, positive purpose.