Over the past few days, the religious harmony which religious leaders and the general public has been working hard to achieve was disturbed by one senior pastor’s insensitive and inappropriate presentation and comments about Buddhists and Taoists in front of his congregation. The pastor’s comments had been video-recorded and made available on the church’s website and subsequently became available on Youtube and other websites. His comments also gave rise to tension and conflict between the Buddhist/Taoist and Christian communities.

Fortunately, the incident was quickly contained and resolved even before it got any worse. The pastor has since made public apology to the Buddhists and Taoists for being insensitive and offensive in his presentation and comments. He also solemnly promised that it would never happen again. I certainly hope he meant what he said. I can’t imagine what the dire consequences would have been if this matter was not taken care of.

This brings me to the important role a religious leader plays in leading and setting the right example. I believe that religions are good in general as they promote good-will, peace, and the acceptance of others. Religion, in fact is neutral; it is the misinterpretation of the teachings in religion by individual that will either do good or do bad. While we must have faith in our religions, we must understand that the religious leaders who preach the teachings are human too. Thus, each of us can play a policing role to contribute to religious harmony too.

When I was reading on the basic of Buddhism during my younger days, I came across something written in the book which left a deep impression in me. In his teaching, Buddha advised his disciples not to accept his words on blind faith, but to decide for themselves whether his teachings are right or wrong, then follow them. He encouraged everyone to have compassion for each other and develop their own virtue, “You should do your own work, for I can teach only the way.”

I am not religious in person but like Abraham Lincoln, I believe in doing good; That is my religion too. I believe in supporting the highest good of ourselves and others.

We are different and yet we are also similar to each other. We are all sons or daughters to our parents, fathers or mothers to our children, uncles or aunts to our nieces and nephews, brothers or sisters to our siblings and friends to our friends. You and I, we are just souls being housed in different bodies.

When we focus on the differences, we see the differences in colour and culture. When we focus on the similarities, we can look beyond the physical layer into the beauty of the soul – the essence of life.

This is a journey with lot of challenges, but one which we do not travel alone. And together we can do it! Let us join our hands together to take on this journey of peace where our children understand and respect each other difference. And they treat each other with loving kindness and compassion. We can positively influence our children through our actions.

Some of them gave serious and thoughtful answers through their personal experiences; they had found the quietest place from hikes in the Rocky mountains while looking into the eyes of an eagle or quietness in moments of solitary amidst the vastness of the Sonoran desert or simply just be surrounded by nature.

The majority of people shared my thought that the quietest place is found in everyone – within oneself. It is easy for one to find peace during good times. But when one find peace within himself/herself, one can even find peace in the most traumatic and challenging time.

Through this peace that one find within oneself, one can obtain peace with others like what His Holiness, Dalai Lama said. And through this peace that one obtain with others, we can have peace in the world. Do you think that is possible? I believe it is possible.

Besides peace we make with ourselves, we must also be compassionate and kind to each other; treating each other with loving kindness as if you would be treating your family and friends. There is a saying, “There are no strangers in this world, but only friends we have not met.” And Mitch Albom said in his book, “Strangers are family you have yet to come to know.” There is a certain truth to this as I believe we are interconnected in this world. What we are doing may indirectly affect another.

Since we are not living life as a hermit, there are bound to be communication with people around us. With communication, misunderstanding can easily arise. There is a need for mutual understanding and respect for each other difference. Failing to put ourselves in another shoes usually lead to conflicts. This can be otherwise averted if we are not too quick to judge others or situations. Let us practice less haste and more patience.

Dr. Susan asked on her blog, “Wouldn’t it be nice to live in a world where war was no longer necessary?” Yes and it is certainly more than nice to live in a world with peace and harmony. Wars are always cruel and from history, we have learnt that they bring forth sufferings and destruction to people and the environment. Through love and respect for each other differences, living in peace and harmony is achievable.