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Here's a concept.
Apr. 7th, 2007 01:02 amTonight, I watched a few minutes of a National Geographic special on Jerusalem. I'd never really seen the Dome of the Rock, and certainly never The Rock itself in all its geologic glory. But the mosque itself is amazingly impressive, as are the impassive stones of the Wailing Wall. The Church of the Sepulchre hadn't even come up on my religious radar, previously.
But the narrator explained how this tiny area, this one town, these few square metres, are among the most sacred sites in the world to not one but three major religions. Cut to reenactments of Templars and Saracens slicing each other to pieces. Cut to the Jerusalem police shooting at rock-throwing youths.
And it hit me like, you'll forgive, a revelation:
You idiots! Haven't you figured it out yet? This one space is holy to all of us! You think that's just a coincidence? Every Muslim, Christian, and Jew should be joining hands and dancing in a circle around the mountain, praising G-d who has given us all this one place to share and revel in our spirituality! This is our Ground Zero-- this is our Starting Point! This is where we all come together to give thanks to G-d, all in our own way, and it should be in peace and love and joy! This is, literally, the mountain we all climb, and all our various paths to the top still take us to the same place: enlightenment, heaven, whatever you want to call it. We are all on the same mountain! We are all one!
No, I'm not about to go shouting on the corner about this, though I almost feel like I want to. I'm just really, really, REALLY tired of everyone and their cousin claiming precedence and superiority. I feel like G-d has put this huge clue in front of us, and is waiting to see how long it takes us to get it. I love my path for me. I love your path for you.
Happy Easter, Happy Passover, Happy Spring.
But the narrator explained how this tiny area, this one town, these few square metres, are among the most sacred sites in the world to not one but three major religions. Cut to reenactments of Templars and Saracens slicing each other to pieces. Cut to the Jerusalem police shooting at rock-throwing youths.
And it hit me like, you'll forgive, a revelation:
You idiots! Haven't you figured it out yet? This one space is holy to all of us! You think that's just a coincidence? Every Muslim, Christian, and Jew should be joining hands and dancing in a circle around the mountain, praising G-d who has given us all this one place to share and revel in our spirituality! This is our Ground Zero-- this is our Starting Point! This is where we all come together to give thanks to G-d, all in our own way, and it should be in peace and love and joy! This is, literally, the mountain we all climb, and all our various paths to the top still take us to the same place: enlightenment, heaven, whatever you want to call it. We are all on the same mountain! We are all one!
No, I'm not about to go shouting on the corner about this, though I almost feel like I want to. I'm just really, really, REALLY tired of everyone and their cousin claiming precedence and superiority. I feel like G-d has put this huge clue in front of us, and is waiting to see how long it takes us to get it. I love my path for me. I love your path for you.
Happy Easter, Happy Passover, Happy Spring.