There’s a lot of division in our world at the moment; after the initial shock three years ago, we’ve grown used to the fact that there’s war in Europe.

The images of people starving in Gaza or of desperate relatives longing for the return of hostages in Israel have become so common we protect ourselves from horrors we can hardly imagine by turning over the page or scrolling on.

Driving around Hampshire, the English flag marks mini-roundabouts and there is fear among people of other nationalities and faiths and yet for many of us, life continues much as it ever has with its small triumphs and disasters and mundane middle ground.

It’s easy to feel that these things happening in other places don’t concern us. To fall prey to the ‘them and us’ mentality that has shaped so much of human history.

It’s not always easy to know how we respond to apathy or hatred or racist attitudes - I know I often struggle for the right words but this week I was reminded of the fact that the only way forward is for us all to remember our shared humanity.

Last week Liss Bell Ringers began a campaign called They Ring For You, inviting local people to nominate those they would like to thank or congratulate or think of in any way.

The bells will then ring out not just to call people to worship but also for that person.

It reminded me of the famous poem by John Dunne, which starts: “No man is an island, entire of itself. Each is a piece of the continent, a part of the main. “

The poem concludes: “Each man's death diminishes me, for I am involved in mankind. Therefore, send not to know For whom the bell tolls, It tolls for thee.”

It’s message reminds us that we are all connected. That our shared humanity means that if one suffers, we all suffer.

So perhaps all any of us can do is see each other as human beings without any other labels needed.

Each of us is someone’s child, parent, friend, or loved one. In this time where people seek to separate us, let’s instead remember that what connects us is so much bigger than the things that divide us.