This Christmas, stop focusing on differences

There Is a Wonderful Game

There is a wonderful game we should play,
And it goes like this:

We hold hands and look into each other’s eyes
And scan each other’s face.

Then I say
“Now tell me a difference you see between us.”

And you might respond
“Hafiz, your nose is ten times bigger than mine!”

Then I would say,
“Yes, my dear, almost ten times!”

But let’s keep playing.
Let’s go deeper,
For if we do,
Our spirits will embrace
And interweave.
Our union will be so glorious
That even God
Will not be able to tell us apart.

There is a wonderful game
We should play with everyone
And it goes like this…

From
I heard God Laughing, Renderings of Hafiz
By Daniel Ladinsky

I ponder this simple poem and wonder that we, as individuals, spend so much time focusing on the differences, while God may see only humanity. When do we release our need to see all that is wrong and take the time to celebrate all that is right?

Mother Theresa saw “the face of Jesus” in each person to whom she ministered. She saw the wonder, love, and compassion that Christ was in each of those she assisted. When do we see ourselves in each other rather than just the other?

Yes, these questions are asked each Christmas; however, given recent events, and a few thousand years of, my clan, your clan, my state, your state, my country, your country, is it about time we looked beyond the physical and recognize the Buddha nature or Christ consciousness in everyone we see; Namaste, an ancient Hindu greeting that conveys the idea that “the God in me sees the God in you.”  When do we let go of the little “I” of the ego and step into the sandals of the Christ and see all beings as neighbors and “love thy neighbor as thyself?”

In each is a sinner and in each a saint. Let us take steps as a saint and move forward to create a world that works for everyone. I am not talking about a “one world government or one world religion,” but at least the opportunity to celebrate the individuality of each other while recognizing the inborn sacredness of which saints and sages of all traditions speak.

Will this transition be easy? “Hell no, I say, “that only means there is work to be done by each of us as individuals, letting go of the status quo, and moving into a bold new world within ourselves and bringing that newness to the world at large.” I can’t wait for my neighbor to begin. It begins with me.