Recognize yourself in he and she who are not like you and me
Points to Ponder: Share our similarities, celebrate our differences. - M. Scott Peck
Story Line:
This week, there were celebrations of two different festivals in many parts of the world; Halloween and Diwali.
That brought back memories of the rare occurrence that happened in the year 2005. I was on an assignment in Penang, Malaysia. During the span of five days, Malaysians celebrated Halloween, Diwali (Hindu Festival of Lights) and Hari Raya (Muslim day of celebration at the end of Ramadan, the month of fasting). It was fun to see celebrations, the integration of cultures, and harmony between people.
This type of alignment between Western, Islamic and Vedic calendars that brought these three events in a week has happened only once in this century and rarely if ever before. It was a 3:1 feast in experiencing richness of Diversity for me.
Reflection:
Throughout my work assignments and travels over the last fifty years I have been fortunate to have met and made close friends from many countries, cultures and religious backgrounds. Many dialogues and interactions between our families plus staying in different countries have enriched me with understanding and appreciation of different customs and practices. There are so many similarities between people once we get to know them. We also learn from the differences in beliefs and practices that have developed because of historical and cultural events.
Just to share one example: annual fasting during certain religious festivals and asking for forgiveness from other people on the last day of festival are common practices in Jainism and Judaism. Most cultures have the message of “The Golden Rule” in their scriptures. This message of kindness and compassion is a common belief that connects many cultures across the globe.
For today I will end this reflection with a beautiful wall hanging I saw in Gandhi Ashram, Ahmedabad, during our visit in 2004. Even though it only mentions two faiths, The message in there is deep and universal.