The event was held at a lake park just north of downtown LA. I met and picked up Grace--one of my fellow "Club Med" weekly meditation group friends in San Clemente--and her husband Kris at a local Costco parking lot and headed north.
If you want to experience what perfect traffic on LA freeway is like, pick 4th of July to drive. No stop-and-go, crawling or tailgate hugging, not even a single slowdown, but smooth-as-silk driving all the way, reaching our destination 60 miles away in less than 50 minutes that could take an hour and a half during normal weekday rush hour.
We took a quick tour around this busy community park before the event started. Lots of people jogging, strolling, fishing around an elegant, curvy, placid lake, sufficed with a red bridge, white lotus, and a tall fountain at the center.
The Hindu station referenced Mahatma Gandhi's effort and skill in achieving justice while building harmonious relationships among people in community.
The Christian station cited the New Testament's metaphor of eyes, hands, heart and mind serving in harmony within one body of Christ, recognizing that all components of the body are needed for health and vitality.
The Jewish station, represented by a young Lecturer and "Diversity Consultant for Organic Communication" at UCLA, relayed the story in the Torah that finds the people of Israel dwelling in community, with tents respecting individual space, yet arranged to be part of the unified whole.
At the Islamic station, a young woman shared her heart-touching understanding of the teaching from an Islamic sage "Ask questions, not to find fault, but to understand" that helps her practice a life of true loving that pleases God.
The Sikh station pointed out their long standing tradition of providing generous hospitality that is currently exemplified by their daily feeding of 14,000 refugees at the Syrian border.
And the Buddhist, the Humanist, the Baha'i stations...
After circling the lake and all 8 stations, a casual refreshments and mingle session was held at the indoor center for those who opted to stay. We each shared briefly our background and reflection on today's event. Two of them registered in my mind in particular:
A humanist/atheist: "Surveys consistently show we atheists are the most despised people in the US... even though our humanist beliefs dictate us to live by high ethical and moral standards... It looks to me our only hope of reconciliation with the religious people will have to go through progressives like those of you I see here today."
A mother who brought her two young children (one in a stroller) to the walk: "Though I left my Christian faith then later came back to the church myself, I want to bring my children to environments like this so they can see, feel and smell the air of diversity for themselves as they grow."
The drive back home was smooth as well, ignoring the fact that there were more cars on the freeway and a wayward mini van almost grazed me by the side. We stopped by a fusion (or should I say "inter-culinary") restaurant in Aliso Viejo for a late lunch, where I had a delicious Ahi tuna salad and Grace and Kris had their favorite steak sandwiches.
It would have been a perfect driving day for me if I did not make a wrong turn at our final freeway exit, forgetting we were to return to the Costco parking lot not my home. But like a little aberration in life can only deter but not detour us from getting where we want to go if we know where we want to go, a swift U-turn at next light got us back on the right direction again and I delivered my two most pleasant companions of the day to their cute Mini at the Costco parking lot safe and sound!
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“We're all just walking each other home.”
― Ram Dass
At the Buddhist station, Marianne, born in Hawaii when it was still a US Territory, celebrated her 90th birthday with us all
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