7.5
April 14, 2022

Whatever Religion we do or don’t follow, Let’s Forget Judgment and Resurrect Love Instead.

Here they are again.

Easter and Passover coincided at the same time. I find myself viewing this calendar phenomenon with deeper meaning than just a merging of months and dates. Whatever we believe or don’t believe—however we define God individually—if we resurrect love and peace, free ourselves and each other from critical judgments, and see one another through the eyes of inclusion, these two unique holidays have the potential to become the highest version of religion.

Religion, love, kindness, respect, inclusion, and peace. Imagine. What a glorious combination.

Two holidays celebrated at the same time give us the opportunity to immerse ourselves in a mega-dose of love. It doesn’t serve our world to live in judgment or to think one religion is right and the other is wrong. If your life compass leads to love, everything in the world is right.

There is no room on our precious planet for negative vibrations that exclude, mock, shun, or punish anyone who doesn’t believe as we do.

Although my roots are Jewish, I am ecumenical in my belief system and embrace all my global brothers and sisters with a heart of love. I don’t attend a house of worship or strictly follow holidays and rituals, but I have always been deeply spiritual. Every choice I make personally and professionally is embodied by the knowledge that I have been given many gifts at birth. Giving back through an open and compassionate mind and heart is my way of saying thank you to a life source that feels bigger than me.

Although I may or may not celebrate Passover formally this year, I know how to sing the songs that surround this holiday and I hold dear their higher meaning. There is one song that stands out to me the most:

Dayenu.” Translated from Hebrew, it means, “It would have been enough.”

As family and friends read the Passover story and recall all the violent challenges their ancestors endured to obtain religious freedom, each verse ends with a resounding, Dayenu. Just one obstacle, one plague, one act of violence would have been more than enough. This plea in the form of a catchy tune is crying for humanity that mirrors love and not hate. It was echoed centuries ago, and it is a cry in my heart now.

If I wrote a modern-day version of “Dayenu,” it would go like this:

One war is too many wars. Dayenu. War is never the answer.

When democracy is threatened in any way, it is too much. Dayenu.

If people aren’t free to live in peace regardless of the color of their skin, gender, philosophy, religion, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, or economic status, Dayenu. Let people be.

If children are shot in their school, Dayenu. Stop. Now.

If people are murdered, wounded, and abused, Dayenu.

 If there aren’t enough resources for everyone in the world and people are poor and starving, Dayenu.

 Dayenu to the bullying, bias, prejudice, stereotyping, and violence.

Let’s sing, say, think, act, feel, and react with high vibrations of Peace, Shalom (Hebrew), Salaam (Arabic), Paz (Brazilian and European Spanish), Mir (Russian, Croatian and Czech), Vrede (Dutch), Amani (African), Bisaniwewin (Native American Otchipwe language), and Heiwa (Japanese).

Please add your language and ancestral culture to this list and continue to live the vibration of peace and love even more consciously today than yesterday. If anyone threatens the shining possibility of hope, please join me in shouting Dayenu. During a time of two major holidays that coincide, let’s merge minds and hearts and realize with increased awareness that, in the end, we’re all the same. We all bleed, laugh, mourn, and cry in the same way.

When a stranger saves us from a burning car, we don’t stop that person to ask about their religion, philosophy, or economic status, and we don’t care one breath of judgment about the color of their skin. We just want to be saved by our earth angel, and even if we were the most prejudiced person in the world, our once-closed hearts open to eternal gratefulness for our new savior and friend.

If we believe in God, and however we believe—G-d, God, Om, Jesus, Allah, Krishna, Siddha, Akai Purakh, All-Powerful, Bhagavan, Adonai, Elohim, Jehovah, HaShem, Holy Father, The Christ, The Savior, The Messiah, The Son of God, Holy Ghost, Holy Spirit—let’s embody one truism. We are all children of the universe.

As one of my books, “Peace Dreamer: A Journey of Hope in Bad Times and Good” says:

If we make a choice to embody the spirit of loving consciousness, we will be able to shift our hearts from fear to love and honor the most authentic definition of ‘peace begins with me.’ The only way we can surround the planet with an inclusive vibration of peace is if we surround the planet with an inclusive vibration of love.

Whether you celebrate Easter, Passover, Ramadan, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Chinese New Year, Diwali, or no holidays or religions at all, let’s resurrect and free the highest form of love within ourselves, toward each other, and to everyone on our one precious planet.

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