A good friend recently returned from a trip that included time in the Middle East. When she got home she posted this on her Facebook page:
“I talked with a Muslim man in Turkey about religious differences. He said that his attitude is “If it is holy to you, it’s holy to me.”
Which leaves me wondering…
What if we began each conversation (debate, argument, discussion???!!!) that somehow included religion or values with the attitude “if it is holy to you…”
Would we listen more closely to the other?
Would we argue less and understand more?
Would space be created that would crack open our certainty and actually allow the Holy to emerge in our midst?
I wonder.
It would be great if everyone adopted the attitude of man with whom my friend spoke, but I am not that optimistic. But that doesn’t mean that I can’t adopt it. In my conversations with others, particularly those with whom I disagree, I am going to do my best to begin with the thought “If it is holy to you…” and to see where it leads.
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