Lak'ech Ala Kin or I am another you.

In Mayan tradition, there is a greeting that many people working with Mayan wisdom know of. It is the law of In Lak'ech Ala K'in, which means I am another yourself (A modern day interpretation). It also means I am you, and you are me (A traditional Mayan interpretation). We have come to understand that this Mayan greeting is an honoring for each other. It is a statement of unity and oneness. In Lak'ech Ala K'in mirrors the same sentiment of other beautiful greetings such as Namaste for East India, Wiracocha for the Inca, and Mitakuye Oyasin for the Lakota. It doesn't matter which culture you come from. But when one of these sacred greetings is given, there is always an action of placing the hands over the heart.
In Lak'ech Ala K'in - the Living Code of the Heart
Aluna Joy Yaxkin - www

Asalamualaikum or Peace be with you, or Shalom as in Hebrew, Hey! what'sup as in the United States, Konichiwa as in Japanese and  a host of other greetings in as many different languages, yet in most instances we past by each other with not even a glimpse of recognition in our eyes of our fellow traveler. What is even more sad is to see a frown or an accusing glare from a stranger just because one's eyes happens to fall upon his, like, what the F..k are you looking at?! How to break this habit we have in ourselves and in others. If what is out there is a mirror of who we are inside then perhaps it is possible to change what we perceive by being more conscious with how we greet the world each and every morning day and night; letting it resonate from within the heart itself.
However we are so often all caught up in our own inner turmoils that more often than not they spill out into the open and allow for others to react at what we truly are feeling even as we greet them. Being in touch with our inner feelings and emotions is the key to having a warm or chilled relationship with the external world. We cannot hide who we are even if we try, and many of us do try very hard to disguise what we truly feel and in the effort often sends out  mixed messages. It is in sending out these mixed messages that we  
often sense a negative reaction from those who we are confronted with in everyday lives.
As a Muslim it is a practice to greet a group of strangers or a gathering with the 'Peace be with you' greeting which would automatically nullify any kind of suspicions or animosity that would be present. It also establishes one's position as a fellow Muslim and a brother in Islam. Although even this simple practice is slowly becoming a rare habit among Muslims, it is still being observed by most especially in the rural areas. In approaching a home one is to send out this greeting of Asalamualaikum towards those inside the house to announce one's arrival and it is said that if on the third time the greeting is not being answered one is to leave the premises as it is an indication that the occupants may not be home or are reluctant to invite you in for any obvious reasons.
Lak 'ech Ala Kin or I am another you in the Mayan tradition tells us of how important it is to have  a proper greeting when in relating ourselves to others. That we each belong to the other in ways that we cannot imagine in the scheme of our humanity throughout our human history; we are one. Time and space merely acts as the backdrop for us to be in the presence of each other, but our inner being has connections that binds us together if only we are aware of it. However being too distracted in our daily lives by our mundane pursuit of so called happiness we have lost this sense of kinship that would have healed allot of wounds and stopped a whole lot of bitterness between us.