We were down in Hartford, Connecticut this weekend for the Bar Mitzvah of the son of our client there. It was wonderful to be included in the celebration. I was inspired by the knowledge that four generations of the family have worshiped at the synagogue where the Bar Mitzvah was held, and I was struck by the fundamental similarities between Judaism and Christianity.
This morning I’ve been reading a book by American Buddhist nun, Pema Chodron, and am again noticing similarities. I suppose all religions draw from the same well–that principally we are here to love god and to love one another. It sounds good, but how did on earth did we get from that to things like the Inquisition and suicide bombing?
I’ve always been deeply uncomfortable with religious talk, but I’m learning to relax about it. I think this must be part of what Chodron means when she talks about softening our hearts. It seems logicial to me that most of the world’s problems are rooted in how we harden our hearts toward one another.
“We always have a choice. We can let the circumstances of our lives harden us and make us increasingly resentful and afraid, or we can let them soften us and make us kinder.”
I have trouble with that choice, but I’m working on it. It’s the best I can do.
