We Are...

the family of one God
the children of one Father
all inhabiting Mother Earth
brothers and sisters in kinship.

We are a species unlike animals
cherishing art, music, and philosophy
we desire materialistic belongings
and strive for financial freedom.

We suffer pangs of guilt and shame
and share a dread of common fears
we carry deep emotions within
and express love on so many levels.

Consciously or subconsciously
millions of individuals around the world
have an innate spiritual connection
an affinity with the inner world.

And in our peculiar human way
we perpetually attempt to define God
segregate mysticism and the esoteric
and categorize the spectrum of spirit.

We have witnessed prophets and holy-men
great sages and scholars of the universe
deciphering, analysing, and claiming truth
raising our awareness of the veiled divine.

We have seen the birth of numerous religions
building temples of various descriptions
we have psychics, mystics and New Age gurus
forming sects, cults, and devotional enclaves.

We participate unwittingly from birth
invariably born into our parents faith
our preferences are mostly in line with kin
later deciding to change, abstain or confirm.

We embrace the names of our denominations
or the name of a self-proclaimed leader
or collectively as a national religion
or culturally within a sectarian region.

But in the final wash everyone agrees
that there is only one God
unanimously one God for all
paradoxically exclusive to their group.

We then fight each other for ownership
the bigotry turns to bloodshed
we terrorise, martyr and slaughter
even call it a holy war.

When will we honour the truth
that we all proudly espouse
that there is only one God
and that one God is for all?

Can we banish our ill-founded zealotry
make peace with ill-conceived enemies
purge our prejudices, hatreds, and fears
sanitise the poisons of past animosities?

Isn’t it time to deny the scourge
of crusaders and jihadists
and tone down the fervour
of imams and missionaries?

We are born of similar genes
branched from a familiar tree
sprung from a spiritual seed
nourished by a heavenly stream.

We are different but not alone
on this planet we all call home
together we are humanity
inseparable as One Family.

 

Photo by: Tim Marshall