As we sit on the deck of an old wooden boat watching another spectacular sunrise over the Indonesian islands, it is impossible not to think about another part of the world.
At the very same moment, families in the Middle East were waking not to birdsong and calm seas, but to fear, uncertainty and grief.
- Homes have been destroyed.
- Lives have been lost.
- Children have grown up knowing conflict instead of peace.
- People of different faiths, who all believe in the sanctity of life and the importance of justice, continue to endure immense suffering.
It made me ask a simple but profound question.
Why?
How can people who worship the same Creator—though in different ways—find themselves divided by hatred instead of united by their shared humanity?
The earth is astonishingly abundant.
It produces enough beauty, enough food, enough opportunity and enough wonder for humanity to flourish together.
Every great religion teaches that human life has inherent dignity, that compassion is a virtue, that justice matters, that we should care for our neighbour and protect the world entrusted to us.
If those shared values were placed ahead of fear, anger and division, perhaps we would discover that we have far more in common than that which separates us.
Our journey through Indonesia reminds us that people from different cultures and beliefs can live simply, respectfully and in harmony with one another and with nature.
Perhaps peace does not begin with governments.
Perhaps it begins with each of us.
- By recognising the humanity in another person.
- By respecting one another’s dignity.
- By choosing understanding over hatred.
- By remembering that before we are members of different religions or nations, we are all members of one human family, sharing one extraordinary planet.
The mountain may have many paths.
With the Same core values
- Tikun Olam - Looking after Nature and each other - treat each other and things around you as you would like to be treated
- Building Community - We are one , but we are many
- Believing in a supreme being - the lord our G-d the lord is one - blessed be the kingdom , the power and the glory forever and ever
Some pray in a synagogue.
Some in a church.
Some in a mosque.
Some in a temple.
Some find the Divine in silence.
But if those paths lead us toward greater love, greater humility, greater compassion and greater care for one another, then perhaps we are all climbing towards the same summit.
Many paths.
Shared values.
One humanity.
One Creator.