This was the question Dr. Frank Kaufmann challenged us with at a recent seminar in Boston. In this seminar, “Is Peace Really Possible?”, Dr. Kaufmann suggested that peace is only possible when we ourselves cross over the boundaries that divide us.
It’s comforting to think that the United Nations might magically make peace in the world, but it’s not going to happen that way. It must grow step by step starting as each person looks beyond our differences to see the humanity in each other.
Dr. Kaufmann asked us to ponder a situation at a checkout counter in a neighborhood grocery. Imagine a woman dressed in a burka approaching the counter, her young son hanging on her skirt. As she does, she is met with nervous glances and unkind words from fellow shoppers. She quickly grabs her things and leaves the store. Dr. Kaufmann had us consider how often that little boy would see his mother treated like this? Imagine what that would do to him constantly experiencing this as he grew up. How could he love a country that so often seemed to hate his mother?
Opportunities to connect
Sometimes people shy away from Inter-religious dialogue fearing that it can dilute or nullify their own faith. But in fact, the opposite is true. Spirituality is at the core of who we are as human beings and affords us the opportunity to connect with each other on a much deeper level than education or lifestyle.
Everyone has an opportunity to be an interfaith activist. Just jump in a cab in any major city and the chances are you’ll be able to strike up a conversation with someone of another faith. It can result in unanticipated connectivity. This was the case for a friend of mine, a young woman named Kasey.
What Do You Believe?
Kasey was trying to get to the airport, but the subway had closed due to bad weather and she was forced to grab a taxi. The cab driver was watching a YouTube video on his phone as he drove, which was unsettling to say the least! The speaker, who appeared to be a Muslim cleric was part way through a very loud rant in an unfamiliar language.
Kasey started to feel anxious. The cab driver sensed her anxiety and turned it off, apologizing. He explained the speech was about a 100-year-old baby born in India! The baby’s birth was a sign of the end times and heralded the coming of Elijah, for which we must all prepare according to the driver. For Kasey, it all seemed so unbelievable.
The cab driver then asked Kasey, “What do you believe?” Kasey responded that she wasn’t sure. The cab driver then advised Kasey to make herself a cup of tea and just sit quietly at the kitchen table and see if she felt something. He went on to suggest that she could start asking herself questions. He added that it doesn’t matter what you believe but that you ask yourself questions and listen to yourself. He told her to make room for silence so that God can speak.
When the cab pulled over to the curb at the destination, the cab driver got out and shook Kasey’s hand. That simple exchange is what it means to be an interfaith activist. We’re not so far apart that we can’t understand each other and relate. Most importantly, she felt his kindness in trying to help her.
The importance of the spirit for peace building
The faith traditions of the world were developed in vastly different environments and reflect the time periods and cultures in which they arose. And yet, we can always learn something from them. Dr. Kaufmann reflected on his experience in observing his Muslim friends who pray five times a day. As a Unificationist, he is not required to do this practice. But then he thought to himself, “What if I prayed five times a day; wouldn’t that give me a stronger prayer life?” Our differences can enrich us instead of dividing us.
Interfaith activists are not centered on their own faith. Instead of trying to convert others to their religion, they recognize that spirit is primal to human life. They seek to strengthen that in themselves and others regardless of specific beliefs or traditions.
The challenge is to use what we have learned through our faith traditions to solve the very real difficulties that plague the world. Rev. Sun Myung Moon believed very much that peace will come from an internal or spiritual solution rather than a purely political solution. This is why he advocated for an Interfaith Council to be formed as part of the United Nations. He hoped such a council would provide spiritual wisdom to nations as they seek solutions for problems facing their countries and the world.
Without such a council to point the way to peace, Rev. Moon saw the United Nations as a rudderless ship. In 1994, Rev. Moon began a number of initiatives to solve the socio-economic inequity between North and South America. He challenged Unificationists and Protestant leaders alike to consider how they can live comfortably in the North while their Catholic brothers and sisters in the South were suffering.
You’ve heard of the expression “a rising tide lifts all ships.” This can be applied to the relationship between North and South America. (Read about the LEDA Project in S. America, by John Gehring) If we lead with the intention that both North and South should prosper together because we are neighbors, we would live in a different world. The spirit calls us to a higher dimension of behavior. The world needs interfaith activists who can help us aspire to the greatest good.
This week strike up a conversation with someone of another faith and see what happens.
