The protest in Ferguson, Missouri, has people talking. The conversation has transformed from the death of Mike Brown, the 18-year old killed by police, to the mayhem in the streets.

During the protests, a few people have been shot, many more arrested and some police injured. The streets looked like a war zone with the National Guard patrolling and cops launching rounds of tear gas into the crowds.

We watch from our living rooms, some of us feeling angry, sad or empathetic while others shake their heads, trying to make sense of it all. Of course, if you have loved ones in Ferguson, your concern is probably supported by daily stress, anxiety and worry.

My point is that the majority of us, regardless of whether we live in Ferguson or not, are concerned in some way. We're shocked to see the heavy militaristic equipment and armored vehicles fill the streets of a town of 21,000. We just can't believe it's happening here on American soil. We are all too familiar and perhaps comfortable with seeing such conflict in Iraq, but not in a suburb of St. Louis. It should never happen here — so we think.

Why are we not as concerned with uproar in other countries? We can watch bloody protests filter in through our evening news programs from Iraq or Afghanistan and most of us don't feel much of anything about the suffering those people encounter.

I would rather not come off as being preachy, but I suppose this is a bit preachy: We're disconnected from humanity. Any time we make one group more important than another group, we are in fact dividing ourselves from one another. I'm equally guilty of this mindset.

One night while watching CNN coverage of the Ferguson protests, I binged for nearly two hours in one night. I got pulled into the storyline so much so that I didn't realize how much time I spent in front of the TV. During those newscasts, I tried to recall the last time I watched stories of violent protests in the Middle East. I rarely watch any of it, but I'm deeply engaged in the Ferguson story. Why?

For one, a black teenager was shot six times by a police officer. I'm keenly aware of the injustice branded on the backs of our African American men. But there is something else that draws me into this story, and that is the closeness I feel to the townspeople of Ferguson. I feel connected to these people because we're American and this just doesn't happen here.

I had to ask myself, why is it OK or acceptable if chaos happens is any other part of the world? Why do we, Americans, think we're protected from scenes like this? Do we feel superior to other lands or privileged in some way? Or maybe its just pride.

A few years back, I wrote an article about rethinking our patriotic slogan of "God Bless America" and consider adding "God Bless the World." For me, our slogan divides us from the rest of the world and it lacks an international blessing, an extension to all.

Our nations are divided, but underneath all of the discord, the people are still the same. We are not immune to the violence and human suffering we see in the streets of Gaza.

The little town of Ferguson can leave a big impression on our psyches. It can remind us to bow our heads and not only pray for the people there, but for people everywhere. It can teach us empathy and humility. It can help us understand that no matter how great our country is, we are not excluded from military trucks rolling down our streets or hundreds of armed guards standing by with dogs and deadly weapons.

When human suffering is happening in any part of the world, it is also happening to us as we are all connected. I hope to be more mindful this.

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