I am amazed how easy it is to go through life without the
slightest awareness of how rich life can be.
We all know the effect the erosion of routine can have on life. We can all bring to mind, I’m sure, those
individuals who are chronic complainers about life in general. I wince because I can well recall those times
I am aware of my own whimpering.
I am not talking about all the poor souls to whom tragedy
and deep suffering have befallen. They
deserve all mercy and understanding we and God can muster. We all know that life can sometimes be cruel
and deal folks unseemly blows. I can
only pray that ultimately grace and love have the last word.
However, the last couple days I have become delightfully
aware of the gift of diversity I have enjoyed.
On the surface it might not seem like it. The gift of diversity has brought its own
fair share of long hours and some hard work.
But the gift of diversity has been present nevertheless.
The gift of diversity showed up in a turban and the wearer
of the turban brought four others with him.
Of course, I am not presenting the turban as the gift, but it certainly
symbolizes the gift of diversity that has landed in my lap, so to speak. The wearer of the turban is a friend of mine
whom I met on a trip to India. He is
Sikh. And he brought with him some
friends who are Hindu.
Knowing a Sikh and a couple Hindus certainly does not make
me special. But I can say my young life
growing up in rural Indiana was devoid of Sikhs and Hindus. I have no clue when I would have met my first
Sikh, but surely I was in my 20s at least.
Probably the same thing goes for Hindus.
Fortunately, life in America is such that it is more difficult to avoid
meeting folks from other religious traditions.
But I dare say, not all of us understand this as a gift of
diversity. In fact, some folks may be
put off by diversity…or even fear it.
Doubtlessly, American lives have been deeply affected by 9/11, as it is
called. Terrorism---and the threat of
terrorism---is a hallmark of our culture and has unfortunately caused too many
to live a fear-based life.
As one who takes the spiritual path seriously, I want to
find a way to be cognizant of terrorism and its insidious cancer-like effect on
the body politic. However, I do not want
to live a resigned life of fear. I want
to be able to embrace and enjoy a vibrant life of love. And the possibilities of that vibrancy are
enhanced by the gift of diversity.
I delight that my Sikh friend with his turban, bracelet and
other signs of his faith can come into my life.
His smile is an antidote to terrorism.
His handshake is a welcome, not a threat. His embrace is life-enhancing, rather than
life-depressing.
When I think about the gift of diversity that so many of us
have, I see three possibilities presented.
One possibility is we will be threatened or fearful of diversity. This has an unhappy ending---always. The second possibility is we will remain
unaware or ignorant. It is easy to be
present in the midst of diversity, but not really be present! This is a missed opportunity.
The final, and my preferred, possibility is to be aware of
the gift of diversity, embrace it, and revel in its richness. For a couple days I have been afforded this
possibility. To be given the possibility
is nothing unless I actualize it. Love
is only a word unless one acts lovingly.
Perhaps God’s deal is this stark: love or fear. And each of us---and, finally all of
us---does the deal of life in love or fear.
And part of God’s deal in the context is always diverse…Sikhs, Hindus,
Catholics, Quakers, and all the rest.
You are in it, too, but are you really in?
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