God - Part 4, conclusion

A friend recommended Hindi movies to me, by name. I never got around to watching them, but when I went to visit him and his family for a weekend, he showed me a lot of them. It was a Bollywood weekend.

I won't give a comprehensive list, but I will list these: 3 Idiots, OMG: Oh My God, Secret Superstar, Taare Zameen Par, and PK.

I have rarely met more powerful movies. Movies geared to improve their society. Movies that made me laugh and cry. Movies that left me satisfied and spiritually improved. Movies that made me think about God and life.

As I was pulled into the rich Indian (India, for anyone confused) culture, I could see that we are all one in God's eyes. Korean, Chinese, Indian, European, all manner of colors/cultures/nationalities in the Americas, and all the other countries. All points on this planet: South, North, East, West and all points in between. We are all one under God.

There are no real labels. The only differences are the ones we make. And our meanness and self-righteousness, and our fighting and killing of each other is stupid. Our hurting of those of our own belief system or of those we deem our enemies is ridiculous.

We have common ancestors. We are all one flesh, created by the same God-one who we think we know, but we do not.

We have been tricked and deceived into thinking we are better than or less than others. We have been led astray by our beliefs that our own religion is the one true way, and others cannot be right, that others cannot be saved by God unless they believe our way and perform our rites and ordinances.

Perhaps we should stop being afraid of being wrong.

Perhaps we should stop being convinced that our version of God is the right one, and learn about other people's versions.

And, also, take the question to heaven: Who are you, God? What are you?

Explore whether or not it's safe to trust this God you don't know.

Maybe we don't know everything.

Maybe we don't have a corner on the market in Truth.

Maybe it's okay to be wrong.

Maybe it's okay to open our hearts to those who believe differently.

Maybe, just maybe, it's okay to love.

Even if you believe differently than me.
Even if we speak vastly different languages.
Even if we look differently or dress differently.

Maybe you have a richness I can learn from, can be enriched by.
Maybe the reverse is true, and I can give you richness of life and learning.

Can we love?
Are we willing to love?
To at least try?

Can we be one - not in culture, but in acceptance and peace, throwing down our weapons of war (including using our mouths and keyboards peacefully)?

I'd love to end this with a one-line zinger. Something worthy of a meme. Something that sticks in the mind forever. I don't have such a thing, though. I just have a little better understanding of "oneness" after watching movies created in a culture different from the one I grew up in and am presently living in.

Be one. I don't think it means what you think it means.
Love. I don't think it means what you think it means.