Walking the 1.3 kilometers of the East Side Gallery early this morning was a stark, poignant reminder of what barriers truly mean. Standing in the shadow of the preserved Berlin Wall, watching the early light hit concrete that once violently bifurcated a city, a nation, and the world, it is impossible not to reflect on modern parallels. As geopolitics and social structures slide back toward fragmentation, separation, and division, I am reminded that identity holds the absolute power to either unite us or divide us.