Be the Change

Be the Change I deeply value inclusion, which then could imply I am adverse to exclusion. But more than that I don't understand it. I simply can't embrace those aspects that differentiate one group of humans from the next as cause for divisiveness - I can't and I won't. The irony is that paths (religious & "spiritual") that contain tenets such as love and compassion become the very forces that uphold and justify further divisiveness and separation. How is this possible? How does "Love thy neighbour" break down so entirely that it becomes rampant intolerance? As a baby I was adopted, most of my life has been devoid of many of the robes of identification that are for many, the mainstay by which they define themselves and differentiate from the next person or group. There has been a void with respect to my ancestry/roots resulting on the one hand, a deep yearning to know myself and a connection to something greater than myself, on the other, truly not understanding why people made such a fuss over their heritage which seemed so often, to go beyond affinity and reverence, to the darker side of nationalism frequently leading to lack of cooperation at best, widespread violence and genocide at worst. My own healing journey has led me to the discovery of and union with, multiple generations of my natural mother's side of the family. My father's identity remains a mystery but documentation indicates Irish ancestry - a journey to the country of my forefathers yielded personal experiences that though lacking in the validation of "empirical scientific evidence" demonstrate to me I am, strongly connected to that land - genetic testing has since verified that indeed the genetic information from my father's side is highly concentrated in Ireland. The ramifications of this are still unfolding for me - just the same another irony exists. The yearning I described earlier - the desire to know myself as part of and connected to something greater than myself, can only be partially resolved with this ancestral information. To a certain degree it doesn't matter (although it does) in as much as the continued searching has led me to broaden and deepen the quest to connect with the power and presence that created it all, me, the world, the universe, that is in fact, the universe, everything in it and beyond. "We" are all a piece of that. We are all connected by that - in that, we are no different, within our differences lies our oneness. Strip away the nationality, the religiosity, the political stripes and affiliations, your favourite corporate branding, and at the risk of complete and utter blasphemy "your" hockey or football team and we are one. People are living and sadly dying, over differences that really are illusory in nature, distractions from the truth of who we are. While wrapped in the flag, and/or the armour of the collective self-righteouness of their respective religions, crusades are waged, politicians rally support for their agendas with "us and them" rhetoric, in sports "colosseums" (recall the atrocities that took place in the original "sports venue") violence is encouraged both on the field and then spills into the audience justified merely by the wearing of a different coloured sweater. All of it ignoring the common denominator - the divine within each, that the harm brought upon another is a harm done not only to one's brother and sister but to one's self. What will it take? What then is to be the catalyst to celebrate the differences, to embrace the oneness? Will it ever happen? Is it even possible? A walk a couple days ago seemed to provide a disheartening answer - I walked through a neighbourhood where a brand new Mosque is being built - work continues on the inside, the exterior far enough along to appreciate the beauty of it's design. I can hardly wait for it to be completed so I can go and experience the worship held within. As I walked by I noticed that on the ground inside the construction fencing were copies of some of the "free literature" that one of the Christian groups in town distribute. This in the capital city of one of the provinces of Canada that touts itself as a "Multicultural Mosaic." I was saddened by the desecration, the irreverence, the "message" seemed to me to be saying "what you are doing is wrong - here, let me show you the right way." Jesus did not ask to see a birth certificate or turn and walk away from someone, based on their political or religious affiliation - love knows no limits. As it happens more recently (last night) another experience provided me with different answers to those same questions. I attended the "World Day of Prayer" gathering at the Unity Spiritual Community. During the course of the evening we were blessed with representation from the local First Nations, two gentlemen from the Muslim community in Vancouver, and a Jewish "lay-person" they shared about their paths and the place prayer takes within, for each. They all stood on the platform together with the Unity minister - we witnessed Amazing Grace being sung in the First Nations language by a husband and wife that had been through the residential school system (had their language stripped away) and now sung their prayer in a venue that was formerly a United Church (now Conservatory of Music performance venue)the Muslim leaders and group from the Jewish community sat together and each filled the space with the splendour of their traditional prayer and shared the importance of prayer in their lives as a means to come closer to God. Each in turn touched my heart where I knew in an instant what John Lennon sung about, there present is the love that Jesus demonstrated, that made Gandhi's stand unstoppable that infused the words of Martin Luther King. Each of these men believed strongly enough in this love that they lived unshakeably in it, their demise demonstrating that love transcends physical death. Indeed the walls of separation must come down and as Gandhi said "You (I) must be the change I wish to see in the World" which means to me I must continue to heal my own heart remove any remaining vestiges of borders, boundaries and walls that keep me separate from the Love that is all.