This article was submitted by guest blogger Rev. C.J. Kady, R.M.A and ULC Minister


Lately, I have been thinking about the young men and women who were savagely gunnedPassengers embrace each other at the entrance to Istanbul's Ataturk airport down in Orlando. In my prayers for their families, and my continuous prayers of thanks for the safety of my loved ones, I could not help but wonder who was to be the next victim of hatred. This evening, as I sat with my grandparents to have dinner, I learned of the bombing at the Ataturk International Airport in Istanbul. More violence is being reported in the news every day. Hatred is being perpetuated throughout the world, and ignorance reigns in an age where more information is readily available than ever before.

With the touch of a button, or even a voice command, I can learn anything my imagination can conceive of. Whether it is the migratory patterns of Canadian birds or the history of the ball-point pen, information of every imaginable subject is at the fingertips of anyone who seeks it. One need only have the ingenuity to search for it. It is not a long journey; open a web browser or ask Siri!

Respect

I cannot help wonder, though, where is the respect? Where is the love and appreciation of the diversity of humanity? Where is the understanding that our differences and uniqueness (on a personal and cultural level) are what makes the tapestry of human life so vibrant and colorful. I cannot even fathom existence in a world where all is dictated by a few, or when opinions and individuality are stripped, annihilated, or left unexplored. Have we not learned from history the consequences of death and violence? Do we not respect life enough to enough to see it as a beautiful, spectacular incarnation of the Divine? Christian or Semite, Buddhist or Muslim, Hindu or Wiccan, however you celebrate God, life is life. Taking a life does not make anyone stronger, it diminishes us all. Violence does not prove anything except madness and the absence of simple human decency.

Humanity True Enlightenment

The more I think and pray, the more I believe that God is trying to tell us something. I'm not entirely sure what it is but a quote from Mother Teresa keeps cycling through my mind. She said, "A Christian should try to be a good Christian, a Muslim should try to be a good Muslim, a Hindu should try to be a good Hindu." These were simple words from a humble missionary in India during a time of profound political and religious strife. It was not a complex message that requires years of theological study, or introspective meditation. Another example can be found in St. Paul's first letter to the Corinthians, "...If I do not have love, I am nothing." He went on to say that no acts we can undertake on earth matter without love. Commonly, this passage is read at weddings to remind us that love is patient and un-envious. I realize that these are wholly Christian examples, but there is a simplicity that I think can be appreciated by any walk of life. True enlightenment comes from mutual respect and appreciation of ideas and beliefs that might not always be aligned with your own.

An Era of Understanding

If we can use technology to learn so many different things about the many and varied cultures across this globe, can we not, now, usher in a new era of understanding and respect? Can't we stop killing each other in the name of God and start embracing each other in the name of humanity? The pages of history are constantly turning. Isn't it time we write something different on them? Maybe something that God would even be proud of.

It doesn't matter if you kneel before the cross, or if you bow your head over the Torah, or if you sit under a ficus and meditate on enlightenment, if you celebrate mother earth and all her mystical spirits, or if you face Mecca and extol Allah - we are ALL people. ALL lives matter. It is time to stop hating each other. It is time to show a little kindness to one another. It's the greatest and simplest of acts, and everyone can afford to give it. You do not have to surrender your liberty or sacrifice security in order to demonstrate a little understanding and a little love.

Rev. C.J. Kady, R.M.A.

ULC Minister

6 comments

  1. ardogarvin58's Avatar ardogarvin58

    well my sister in Christ in the book it tells us of peerless times in divers places trouble not your hart it is not again flesh an blood but again the principality this is the last harvis please write again we should talk be of good chear all thing are work out it only require to only belive

  1. Gary Shade's Avatar Gary Shade

    ? ^^^^ ???? What? Unintelligible.

  1. Rev. Rob's Avatar Rev. Rob

    well you sound like you are for the one world government globalization which is not really going to happen

  1. Minister Leslie Kulac's Avatar Minister Leslie Kulac

    If you truly believe God is the sole creator, then we must believe that God created all! I am the mother and sister of gay family members. They are no different than you and I, they love, and feel as we all do! They are not the flamboyant stereo type. That the media makes them out to be! They are God fearing, gentile people. Who prayer and love as we all do, but have to remain for the most part in the shadows of fear and ridicule!!! Remember they were created and loved by God!!

  1. Rhonda's Avatar Rhonda

    I DO believe in love and peace and all lives matter...and live and let live...but with these radical groups we are dealing with people who hate anything and anyone that is not them. So the usual love one another logic isn't working with them. They just keep doing terrorist attacks and killing people for no reason we can see. I certainly don't have a good answer for it but we better be aware...until they have us all under their control or they are gone...these horrific events will continue. I pray to God daily for peace. I won' t give up but an not feeling as optimistic as I used to.

  1. Carrie's Avatar Carrie

    It is the underlying principle of all faiths that love is the ultimate truth. Far too many are casting these ideals aside and spewing hatred of anything that is not like them. I found the answer for myself, every week I go to another country. Not in a physical sense but, I cook the dishes and study the culture so I can enrich my life knowing how they live, work, eat and celebrate life. No true God or Goddess teaches hate or intolerance, it is the bigotry of people who put forth the idea that they do. Buddha once said that every one of us seeks the top of the mountain. Each of us must follow our own path to get there. Jesus taught to love thy neighbor as thyself. The list can go on forever, and it is all about love.

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