“Send her back!” These were the words said in unison at a North Carolina political rally last Wednesday. It was directed toward Minnesota Congresswoman, Ilhan Omar, a United States citizen and devout Muslim who immigrated to the United States from war torn Somalia. The reason for the chant: she expressed opinions others disagreed with.
Her life has been threatened because some people have bought into the illusion of our separateness, rather than living from the realization that we are all part of one humanity. Moreover, political gain was chosen over spiritual values. Whenever there is buy-in to that illusion, it becomes easy to demonize someone who comes from a different background, whether the difference is in religion, culture, race, sexual orientation or political affiliation.
The reality is that we come from the same source - God. The truth is, we are one in the Spirit. But humanity has made up a story that there are so-called “others” who somehow pose a threat to what is considered acceptable. If we all took the time to understand each other’s story, we would have a completely different view of them. If we fully knew another person’s story, we could not help but to have admiration (and even love) for them.
Most of us have had setbacks and challenges in life. Some of those challenges have been heartbreaking. At the same time, most people have had moments of great joy. We have a plethora of stories we can express about our life experiences. However, there is story we all have in common and eclipses all others: We are one and we all come from the same life-giving source. Regardless of the appearance that we are separate bodies, we have a variety of personalities, and we possess an array of interests…we are one humanity.
Just as when the light from the sun goes through a prism, a spectrum of colors comes out the other end, we all come from the God presence and simply express that Presence in a myriad of ways. So how can we go back to Source and live from that space of one humanity? One way is to walk a mile in the moccasins of another. We often use our imagination to envision the worst things for ourselves and other people who appear different from us. That imagination may include fantasies about being better than others or trying to make them like us or conform to our beliefs or seeing them get their comeuppance for whatever human reason we come up with.
However, to go back to our roots - our oneness with God and each other - we want to use our imagination in an entirely different way by walking in the shoes of another. When we do, we see from the other person’s perspective and realize there is only one life, one power, and one presence. These are not a lot of different lives, although it appears that way. There is only the life of God revealing itself through us, and through its multitude of ways.
When we can stop and see someone else’s perception, instead of simply reacting to another person’s point of view and seeking some kind of revenge, we can imagine why he or she said that and why they think the way they think. If we are open minded, perhaps we will realize they had a more expanded point of view than we did! This will bring us together as one rather than pull us apart. When we do, we go back to where we all come from - God.
Peace and Blessings,
James