Why must your be way the only way?
Why do you want me to accept your understanding
and expect me to give up mine?
Why do you reject any deviation from your perspective
on anything and everything?
You have denied the possibility of doubt being positive.
You have led the numbers, even the masses, of those who support you
To place all who disagree with you and them
in a state of excommunication from society,
To rob them of their dignity, even their humanity.
Your eyes are bordered by blinders
That prevent you from seeing the reality
Of a multiplicity of beliefs that can bring solace and hope
And personal and communal salvation.
Peace in this world will not come
As a result of policies of coercion, through law or physical force,
That claim that there is but a single path
that must be adopted by everyone.
Coexistence is a blessing
when people who have taken many spiritual and ideological paths
Can work together to find common threads between them
That enable them to reach out to human beings
in dire need of help
And a glimmer of optimism
That can lead to providing for their well-being.
Yet, it is as if this multiplicity of approaches is a mistake, an aberration,
And diversity is a mere illusion
conjured up through intentional misinterpretation of reality.
To that, I say,
and many of us say,
Look around.
Open your minds and hearts.
Step back
And rise above the narrowness that confines you
So that you will strive to sense a Oneness
That is at the foundation of our universe,
A web of connection
That binds us together.
Your pronouncements and declarations
That dismiss the wonder of our differences
Will not prevent any of us
From affirming and asserting
Who we really are
And who we can be.
💕 🙏
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