You can look at any person anywhere in the world and, no matter how different his or her appearance and behavior is from yours, know that this person is exactly like you living under different circumstances. You can, in fact, go a step further than "exactly like" and say, "that is me living under different circumstances."
One way to look at this is to see that it's really no more than a twisted up statement of the obvious. If by "circumstances" we mean both the body this person is in and all the details of his or her life then there would be no difference between this person and you living under his or her circumstances. Hidden behind this seemingly pointless observation, though, are things that are anything but pointless.
Let's start by saying that whether the statement, "That person is me living under different circumstances," could ever be true is not the important thing. The value here isn't in the validity of the statement but in what it opens up in the person making it. When you look at someone and think to yourself, "that's me living my life under different circumstances," it short-circuits your isolated view of self. It punches a hole in that "me vs. not-me" container we all carry ourselves around in. It opens up a way for empathy, compassion and love to become possible.
One's mental activity when looking at another in this way changes from cataloging differences to recognizing similarities and appreciating differences. In practice, the fear one feels when focused on what is seen as different in others is replaced by a genuine curiosity. How did these people get this way? What must their life be like to account for the differences? How do they see the world? And how, despite the differences, are there so many similarities?
Tijn Touber in an article named "Love Thy Neighbour, For He Is Me" (Ode Magazine, June, 2007) lists a series of statements one may make of another which are intended to lead to compassion:
Just like me, this person is seeking happiness in his/her life.
Just like me, this person is trying to avoid suffering in his/her life.
Just like me, this person has known sadness, loneliness and despair.
Just like me, this person is seeking to fill his/her needs.
Just like me, this person is learning about life.