meeting places as a basis for unity

At a recent gathering in our home, where people from various backgrounds, with diverse mother tongues, different coloured skin, various rituals for how they practice their faith, and different names to call their beliefs, came together to pray, to consult, and to celebrate the birthdays of various members of the local community, a question was posed:


"What is unity?"


After some reflection, one participant raised his hand and responded, "It's us. Here, in this room." 

His contribution was met with a moment of silent acknowledgement. It was a very eloquent and appropriate reflection. Given the wars fought, the animosity fostered, the divisions created and segregation entrenched in the name of 'religion,' between different groups in all parts of the world, it was hard to ignore that what we were experiencing in that room, each time that we came together for such a purpose, represented a massive leap forward in human relations. And moved us an inch closer to the unity of humanity - even though it was in itself merely a glimmer of what this unity might look like on a global scale. 

For some time, we - and other neighbours - have been holding such gatherings in the unassuming settings of our living rooms. This act of coming together seems to have helped us, as a community, to become more conscious of the common threads that tie all of humanity together. The force of unity, as a light that has the power to illuminate the whole world, is making itself manifest in the relationships that are solidifying between a growing number of friends and through the power of attraction that is drawing more and more of us together in an act of collective devotion, reflection and discussion. 

Our living rooms have essentially been transformed into places of meeting that welcome an increasingly diverse range of people. This act of collective devotion has helped to reinforce a sense of oneness and a sense of common purpose. I have seen how establishing this common base - the meeting point, this moment of acknowledgement that there is a single Creator binding us all together - affects the way we interact. The cause for the spiritual and material wellbeing of our neighbourhood is increasingly becoming a common one, whose advancement more and more members work towards as equal partners. Thanks to such meetings, the act of coming together to reflect and to plan concrete actions in our neighbourhood - which we ultimately implement and learn from together - has become a natural part of the pattern of community life. Coming together for the purpose of advancement, both individually and collectively. 

And, as noted, there is no doubt that these brief, shared moments together - the burgeoning light of unity - are but a mere glimpse of what this would look like at larger and larger scales. But irrespective of the scale, seeing it here, on the home front, one cannot help but feel a tremendous sense of hope, that unity in diversity is a real possibility, that these places of meeting are closer to us than we think. And that unity, as our friend proclaimed, starts here with us.