Im getting a little burnt out on the whole politicky anti-war thing. I have a funny feeling I could rant till kingdom come and the bombs would keep dropping. So Im toying with the idea of changing my social media focus, back to a long simmering project Ive been working on for many years, a project that I sometimes fantasize might actually be more effective in bringing the world closer toward peace. The opposite of war, I think, is not merely peace. It is to celebrate together, as one. The way I figure is that if we share and celebrate each others sacred holidays, whether they be Islam, Jewish, Christian, Hindu, Buddhist, Pagan, or Primal then we will be more likely to find kinship and commonality with each other. I got to see this in practice with a Unitarian Universalist Youth group I once hung out with. These youths were amazing, many of them having been raised their entire lives in the UU tradition. Not only did they seem to know everything about every sacred holiday of every tradition but they sincerely CELEBRATED each and every one of them, fasting on Ramadan, lighting the Menorah, making sacrifices for Lent. From my perspective they seemed both enlightened and self-actualized-- informed by culture, tradition, and faith-- and they were full power peace warriors, able to put their heart and soul in various socially positive causes locally and globally. As a very young child, I rejected my moms catholic faith and contented myself to be what I now would consider a rather dogmatic atheist. Shut down from the sacred for so long, I could see I had a lot of catching up to do, if I were to try to fit in with this UU youth group. That resolve was a spark of inspiration that eventually led me to this project: a multi-faith sacred calendar. I will kick it off by noting that Oct 2 is the International Day of Non-Violence. In 2014, it is also the Double Ninth Festival in the Chinese tradition, and at sunset starts Erev Yom Kippur, a day of preparation for Yom Kippur, one of the holiest days of the Jewish calendar. In one of those interesting interconnections, Erev Yom Kippur and the Double Ninth Festival are connected to worship/remembrance of ancestors, so one could speculate there is something holy and ancestral about this time of year that is cross cultural and maybe universal. #nonviolence #doubleninth #erevyomkippur #anscestors #sacredcalendar #2014-10-02
Posted on: Thu, 02 Oct 2014 11:29:37 +0000
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