In recognition of today as The International Day of Peace, the recent violence about a certain video, and what seems from the outside to be a growing violence and separation between people in America, I share this little reflection.
In Uganda, there are little to no problems between religions. The Muslims, Christians, Hindus, everyone, we all exist in peace. People are friends with no care as to your religion, only sharing a love for the overarching great uniting power, whatever you might call it.
In mass on Wednesday, it was mentioned, "It doesn't matter whether you are Christian or Muslim... if you are Christian and your Muslim friend loses a family member, you still go to the service. We all celebrate God together; even our Muslim teachers sing in the choir at our Catholic mass. We all have skin, we all have faces, we all have families. We are the same people."
I have realized in my time here the immense differences that can exist between cultures... something that may be a very large insult in America can be a huge compliment here. Here, more than anywhere, I have grown to really see in a new way that the only way to understand each other, is to understand each other. Engage in dialogue. Share experiences. Share differences. And share similarities.
We all smile in the same language.
Today, I challenge whoever reads this to work towards understanding today. Engage in a conversation. Smile. Take one minute to increase peace in your world. Because your world is my world. And my world is your world. And our world is the whole world. Each act increases peace. Let's all make a concerted effort today to increase peace, to create peace, to build peace in our world.
"Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding." -Albert Einstein
Sending Peace from Uganda
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