Within a Realm of existence, very similar to ours, your far
is an activist within the InterFaith Movement.
Within my work, I radically challenge conventional authority in many
subtle, yet provocative manners. At some
point, I am featured within a communiqué that travels around many circles
within our international community.
Within my portion of the communiqué, I describe a rather remarkable
vision and plan for global and Universal harmony that our collective is
building. During that period, your mor
is working and studying within academia.
She is involved with humanitarian work, and through this, she receives
the communiqué. After reading the
communiqué, she is inspired by the vision and plan that I describe, and she is
interested in contacting me to learn additionally. She tries to find me on Facebook, but she
notices that my account is inactive; she
is uncertain about the email address, and she is too uncomfortable in making a
direct phone call. She decides to write
a letter to the listed postal address, in addition to an email. Well, by that point, I stop checking my
postal mail, and much of it is intercepted by people who are close to me but
who also disagree with me. As for the
email address, I very rarely check it, and I abstain from receiving. After a while your mor decides to find
another way. The ideas are percilating
within her find and she is interested in learning further. She googles me and the associations that I
maintain, and she learns additionally.
She looks me up on LinkedIn, and finds that I am only 3 degrees away
from her amidst the contacts we share.
Yet, there is little success with the listed email address, again. Yet, your mor also learns that I study at a
number of different universities, and she knows that 1 of her brother’s
colleagues also studies at 1 of these universities, as well. She asks him to talk with his colleague and
to see if he might know anyone who studies at the university with me. It turns out that the colleague actually
studies with me at the university, and knows me fairly well during that period. He says he knows me as a rather nice and
unassuming guy; but, he is informed that
I recently become heavily involved with comparative religion and activism, that
I make some very challenging and unsettling proclamations, even being
previously arrested and locked within psych wards; so, he is uncertain what to conclude. Your mor’s brother even hesitates from
sharing this with her because he is concerned for her. Indeed, your mor becomes increasingly uneasy
with the information; yet, she is also
increasingly intrigued. She continues to
learn further about the InterFaith Movement, without concentrating as muchu
upon me. A little while later, as your
mor becomes increasingly versed with interreligious activism, she discovers
that the next Parliament is being scheduled in México. Whilst she is rather cosmopolitan,
well-versed within international culture, and with modest travelling
experience, she is previously hesitant in attending any previous interFaith
events in other nations, because of the lack of familiarity with the entire
scene. And there are very few of such
events in Brasil at that point. However,
she considers that México is comparatively close, she can progress through the
language, and it is the Parliament: the
largest gathering of our InterFaith Movement.
So she is motivated to go; she
just has to figure out how. The biggest
hurdle is getting the approval of your morfar;
because, whilst she is an adult woman in her 20’s, she still relies upon
his material and moral support. Through
a series of extended, well-articulated , and logic-based conversations, your
mor describes her entire approach for attending the Parliament: travel and accommodation logistics, safety
precautions, specific workshops and programmes to attend, colleagues with whom
to connect, and further, the benefits that this experience has for her, her
family, and her community when she returns.
And amidst these conversations, your morfar actually agrees and supports
her efforts. Your mor tells me, given
the protective ways of your morfar, she very much considers this an act of
Divine Providence, and she provides thanks to God. During this same period, I experience a few
considerable successes within my interreligious diplomacy. I also experience a few considerable
challenges and static from a number of groups, including my own family. I live on the verge of homelessness on the
street, with very few material provisions and very modest support. There is serious doubt regarding my ability
to conduct any form of cross-border travels, let alone attend the
Parliament. Yet, I am able to build upon
a series of agreements to be able to continually and reliably support
myself. An increasing number of family
and friends gain increased confidence with our vision and plan. And I become increasingly settled in building
a homestead. And amidst this I am able
to make arrangements to attend the Parliament.
When I arrive, I am already a veteran of the scene; I have a strong idea where to go, whom to
see, and when to rest. Your mor breathes
it all in. She travels to numerous, colourful
cities before, so she is less mystified by the energy and grandeur. What substantially impresses her are the
significant crowds from different regions of the Earth; different religions of God; and different languages and cultures of
humanity. The Parliament attendees, each
dress as if preparing for a “We Are The World” group photograph; but it is all very genuine and
heartfelt. There is a common bond that
connects all the people, amidst the very noticeable, and very serious,
differences. In fact, the differences
become a very popular reason for participants to introduce 1’s self. The “Kum By, Yah” flux holds strong and
steady throughout the Parliament.
Indeed, it becomes almost overwhelming for your mor to endure the entire
week and a half. The Parliament
programme contains hundreds of pages of hundred of workshops and events; and your mor is very deliberate in reviewing
all the options and making balanced selections.
During 1 of the 1st Days, our friends from the Baha’i
community convenea roundtable open forum on the topic of the multiethnic
experience. The roundtable panel
includes young, multiethnic adults respectively from Cape Town, Singapore, Rio
De Janeiro, London, and Toronto. The
roundtable also catches my eye, and I attend, as well. When the roundtable opens up, I share a brief
insight, and your mor recognises me. She
also shares a comment during the forum, but it is after I already recognise
her; she need say very little. We are situated in different sections of the
room, so when the event concludes, it is difficult for each of us to casually
walk towards each other and introduce ourselves. She is somewhat apprehensive, and I want to
abstain from being presumptuous. By the
point that I am able to gain some semblance of strategic position, I have
difficulty seeing her. I attribute it to
another staging moment towards serendipity;
so whilst I am stoically optimistic and Faithful, there is some depletion
of air. Later that evening, there is a
low-key soirée in a lounge of 1 of the nearby large hotels. I am only told about this relunctantly,
within the context of retroactive polite conversation (after another friend
briefly references this to another in passing).
I am also less inclined towards attending; however, I have plans to share coffee with a
friend a few hours later, and less than a block away, as part of the 24-hour
scheduling that tends to pervade the Parliament. The scene is cool and mellow amidst the
Guadalajara Summer. It is my type of
scene when I am in my 20’s. When I
arrive, I think of whether I may see her here.
And I do. I see her in a small
circle of young friends, a number of whom I recognise from my involvement with
NAIN and URI. I join the conversation
without speaking. I shake a few hands
and share a few smiles. In my textbook
manner, I find a nearby place to sit, although I make sure to make eye contact
with your mor before I do so. In a
manner similar to the Corleoné story, the meeting of our eyes is like
lightning, although the thunder previously builds over the past many
years. As I sit solitarily for a while,
I continue to look in her direction without being obsessive or looking directly
at her. Yet, your mor abstains from
returning any semblance of a glance. A
friend stops by me and sits to talk. And
your mor quickly glances towards me. Our
eyes meet, again. Our friend offers a
polite excuse and departs. Perhaps
encouraged by our 2nd glance, perhaps relieved that another person
finds me conversation-worthy, or perhaps emboldened by the obligation of
completing a standing mission, your mor craftily makes her way towards where I
am seated. Through a patient waltz brief
salutations and smiles, I eventually and Happily see her seated next to me. The finishing act of sitting down is completed
with both with unchalant indifference of happenstance, as well as full and
determined intention. She looks directly
at me and smiles as she sits. I smile
and look at her, as well, without appearing (in my mind) overanxious. I calmly offer to your mor, “Hi, my name is
Peter.” She shakes my hand and
assertively responds with, “Peter Johannesen Osisi.” My smile widens with the involuntary
experience of flattery, yet without surprise, as I already see see too much of
this world, cosmos, and Universe to perceive being too un/important to be
un/known by anyone. Your mor shares with
me her name. Shen mentions that she is
from Brasil, and she explains how she becomes familiar with the work of myself
and our collective. In the risk of
committing the multiethnic faux-pas (yet relying my multiethnic exception
clause), I ask your mor where her family is from. She describes her ancestry from India, China,
Arabia, Iberia, and additionally; as
well as some of her family and community life in Brasil. We talk about our Universal vision and
plans. She asks me about the progression
of the ACE Plan, and the work of both WเเϕअAنא
天 and अΣO אن冬宮.
I ask her about her studies and her work at the university. As we become increasingly comfortable with
each other, we become increasingly candid with each other. Your mor intimates that she is spiritually
inspired by our work; by the Truth and
the force and compassion of our approach.
Yet, she is troubled by some of my communications; perhaps these are too honest, too
indifferent, or too strange. I assure
her that I understand her concerns and recognise the discomfort; but that it is part of the cost in
maintaining proximity to Truth. I
describe how muc of the proclamations are increasingly contextualised within
contemporary social parlance and interaction, and that we are increasingly
settled within society and convention.
She looks at me with a smile, tilts her head closer towards me and
explains that some of my communications make it very obvious that I am hard-up
for a wife. I lean back with a chuckle
and smile. I appreciate her honest and
the immediacy it builds between us. I
provide the humbling lesson that this is something beyond my control, but that
I am earnestly working on it. And I ask
your mor whether she has any suggestions.
She smiles, and she leans back, balancing the implications of my
counter. Her tone becomes somewhat serious
as she states that a woman wants to feel secure and comfortable with any
prospective husband; that a woman wants
to believe that her husband will be able to care and provide for both her and
the family’s children, along with himself.
And, of course, her husband must live a spiritual life that is
compatible with hers. The 2 must have a
compatible understanding of God, the Universe, life, and our purpose within all
this. This shared spirituality is necessary to strengthen the relationships
within the family and between the family and extending family members and
community. There is a quiet in the room
amidst the timelessness of our conversation.
Your mor mentions laughter and the little things; attentiveness. Her movements become increasingly pensive,
communicating from an innerplace that very few previously reach. She looks increasingly down towards the
coffee table in front of us, sitting in angle towards my direction, and
continually brushing the hair from her face.
I ask her about her life as a young girl, growing up in Rio. I tell your mor about the Heights and life
within our Cuyahoga area. I open my
backpack and share with her some of my writing.
By this point, the lounge is nearly empty. I previously text my friend about
rescheduling our rendez-vous. I look
outside the window and the dark blue evening sky floating above the city
lights. I point towards the Sky and tell
her, “The Moon is smiling.” She does, as
well. We proceed outside the glass doors
unto a patio deck. We find 2 chairs and
talk about our experiences in Guadalajara over the past few days. She asks me about my meditation practices and
my spiritual journey and beliefs. As I
delve into the Theology of धर्म עולם תקן,
I ask her additionally about some of her experiences with the Baha’i community,
Brahma Kumaris, and Soka Gakkai. I ask
her about her newfound experience with URI, and how she balances all this with
her Catholic community and her family’s Muslim and Taoist heritages. We discuss some of the challenges being
multiethnic and multireligious. We talk
about the burgeoning number of people who are increasingly affirmative and
accepted in being multiethnic and/or multireligious. We compare the multiethnic, multireligious
experiences in Brasil, the United States, and additionally. And then we delve into culture. She flexes her knowledge in US-based hip hop
and jazz, and then asks me to explain some of the references, and share
additional insight. I intentionally
solicit a lesson in Portuguese, as I begin to sing the 1st few lines
of “Felicdade.” We begin to rattle lists
of our favourite words, terms, and concepts from different traditions. And with each 1 we list, we delve into an
extended path about the nature of that concept and our understanding and
experience thereof. We then go into
anectdotal descriptions of our life experiences, and the lessons we learn from
these concepts, during or after these incidents. Perhaps, amidst the increasing fatigue we become
silly and start to share some of the jokes and riddles that we each can
remember. At 1st, the jokes
are cute and amusing; yet after a few
minutes, the jokes become very strained and corny. We learn that corniness is a Universal
characteristic within humanity, and yet whilst its nature si very similar
across cultures, our corny jokes reveal an intimate and vulnerable semblance of
innocence and childhood that is tangibly unique within each of our
cultures. As the Sky begins to change
colours and the rising of the Sun becomes increasingly evident, I offer the
suggestion that we partake in breakfast.
Your mor readily agrees, and she comments about the perceptions people
may draw from our current circumstances.
Your mor then sighs that it is somewhat late for her to do something
about that and I experience a twinge of guilt as I consider my lack of
discretion, and perhaps indulgence, in leading her into such a
circumstance. I try to lighten the
circumstances by offering, “We can say that you are my wife,” and she offers a
feigned smile and nod as we are both aware of the inefficacy of my
statement. I ask the hotel clerk about a
recommendation for a breakfast restaurant;
and we walk a few blocks away, per the clerk’s directions. We proceed with a certain silence,
recognising the solmeness. Yet, by the
hour we reach the restaurant, we find a vibrancy and energy. There are people; there is action; there is commotion. We fit within the mix, and few seem to paying
any special close attention. I talk with
the manager to confirm agreeable terms of bartering for the breakfast: a voucher at the nearby hotel and a gift card
to a local retail outlet. When we are
seated, I recite a blessing over the water and bread that are initially
provided. I ask your mor about some of
her favourite dishes that she likes to eat and that she likes to cook. We both talk about our experiences with
different ethnic cuisines and the coinciding occasions for partaking in such
cuisine: numerous family and community
gatherings, late night excursions with friends, travel abroad journeys, and
adventurous jaunts to nearby spots. I
describe my journey into vegetarianism, and she describes her challenges
practising such amidst a culture of carne.
As we finish our breakfasts, we return into the bustling streets and the
AM traffic. When we arrive back at the
Parliament, we already establish a transcendent friendship with each
other; a companionship, an understanding; even, a marital bond, although we abstain
from pushing undue bounds (and knowing that our marital bond exists before we
even set eyes upon each other, and perhaps before we are each even
conceived). As we walk together through
the atrium, we already agree to spend the rest of the Parliament together. We miss the day’s 1st session, and
we encounter a number of smiling faces during the interim transition
period. A few friends greet and we
confirm the intention for all of us to attend the same roundtable discussion
during the next upcoming session:
Post-Modern Methodologies For Community Building.
