A treatise to coexist

A Jew, a Catholic and a Muslim meet on the square. But instead of being the beginning of a bad joke, it is the embodiment of something profoundly beautiful. A few weeks before students arrived, when the recent conflict between Israel and Lebanon was at its height, about 100 Bloomington citizens representing the aforementioned faiths, along with many others, met on the square (the area surrounding the Monroe County Courthouse). \nMoved by feelings of fervor and sadness, they came to sing, pray and cry together in the face of seemingly hopeless violence. Prayers were offered by a Jew, a Catholic and a Muslim to the energy wherein their faiths respectively find refuge. The speakers each brought exhortations of collaboration and cross-cultural understanding. Those in attendance, having felt hopeless, found hope in the communal outpouring of compassion. They came together out of sheer frustration with the ancient struggle between two of the oldest faiths, realizing the worn-out approach of mutual antagonism is the opposite of what's needed. Instead, the answer comes in gatherings of regular people who are discouraged enough to yearn for coexistence.\nLooking at the Spanish candle that sits upon my desk, adorned with the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe, I am reminded of the millions of Catholics who look to Her for guidance and hope in current times of great despair and confusion. On the same shelf sits my copy of the Quran, the holy text of peace and assistance for the millions of Muslims in the world we share. Ironically enough, directly beside it sits my favorite ethnography, a collection of observations made in a Jewish community chronicling its unshakable faith post-WWII. On the shelf above are books on Hinduism, Buddhism, Wicca, Kant, evolution and Taoism. I have the Catholic Bible, the Protestant Bible, the Kama Sutra and a collection of yoga mantras stacked by my computer. In each of these symbols and texts are messages of love, peace, respect and hope, none of which contradict each other when viewed in the context of its culture.\nThese books sit peacefully on my shelves, intriguing my thoughts and inspiring in me a willingness to cultivate compassion. There is nothing inherent in the varied faiths and systems of morality held by most of the billions of people in the world that stand in direct opposition of coexistence. If we instead heed the ancient wisdom of these texts and develop empathy for the sake of our shared humanity, then terrorists of all kinds will lose their hold.\nI am well aware of the idealism within my hope, but we are in times that call for the resurgence of ideals. If we all believe that there is no point in even trying, then there is indeed no point. However, if we allow room in our cynical minds for that sliver of idealism held by the Jews, the Catholics and the Muslims who met on the square, then we allow for the potential of coexistence. Only when that is realized will peace find a permanent home.