I am very blessed to still be in touch with my ex-students. They are from all walks of life, and most of them now have children of their own. One of them is Derek, who has the purest heart and regularly visited me in my office during his school years, and we kept in touch after my retirement.
He has been to my house helping me with my garden work, and I have cooked food for him. He told me that he wanted to cook for me and bring it to my home.
I asked what he was planning to cook, and he said, “butter chicken.” On my part, I told him that I would cook rice and make the salad.
On the appointed date, Derek called to say that his father had come to visit him from another town and asked if he could come too. I said that he was very welcome.
On that day, I had promised an Iranian Muslim lady that she could come to my house to pick some fruits and I invited her to eat with us also. She is new to town, and her work has brought her here.
After eating the food, we started to talk about the sad situation of the world and all the crises. Both the Muslim lady and Derek’s father are strong in their beliefs.
The Iranian lady was furious at the situation in Iran and how the mullahs had lied to people and misled the public. She believed that they had done things that had damaged Islam.
Derek’s father, a Catholic, was not happy about the role of the clergy in his church. He felt the same as the Iranian lady and said that he was disappointed with what had happened in the name of Christianity.
I mentioned that the Baha’is believe that all religions are fundamentally one and differ only in their social laws. I used the metaphor that religions are like pure healing water streaming down the mountain, and leaders use it as a political means, polluting the water.
At the end of our two-hour discussion and sharing our feelings and ideas, we agreed that the only solution to solving the world’s problems is for all nations to become united in their efforts and find a religion that combines all the religions in one.
After they left, I realized what an amazing thing had happened. A Muslim, a Baha’i and a Christian of different ages agreed on the need for a universal and all-inclusive religion.
It was a miracle that three different people who did not know each other and with solid religious beliefs expressed views respectfully and lovingly. There was harmony and friendliness in the air.
What made all of us with different age groups and views experience this? As if a mysterious force took over the discussion and led us to that conclusion. Maybe it is because of helplessness felt worldwide due to overwhelming crises that highlighted the need for a solution. With all its unsolved issues and barely recovering from the pandemic, humanity has been forced to reflect and do some soul-searching to counter the dangers ahead. The spirit of unity and oneness is at work with full force. The unity of humankind is not an ideal or empty slogan anymore. It is the only way out left for the survival of wayward humanity.
Now I am left with the memory of that beautiful night when we relished our oneness and the delicious food – butter chicken for the body and the soul.
"Badi Shams is a Baha’i and a mystic at heart. His field of interest is economics; he has published "Economics of the Future" and "Economics of the Future Begins Today" and recently written the books "Random Thoughts of a Mystic Economist" and "Towards a New Spiritual Economic System." You can find Badi's website at badishams.net called "Baha'i Inspired Economics" He is retired from the education system
You can read more articles on our interfaith blog. Spiritually Speaking, HERE: https://www.timescolonist.com/blogs/spiritually-speaking
