That’s Arun Gandhi in the image, grandson of Mahatma Gandhi. He’ll be at the Festival of Spirituality and Peace in Edinburgh, Scotland from August 3-24.
I’m all for spirituality and I’m all for peace. You may be, too. Yet, I bet you’ve known people who, if you brought up those subjects, would argue with you till the cows came home.
These two ideas—key elements to human unity—cause, at times, violent arguments.
Two things I feel make this happen are the relationship between unity and peace and the relationship between religion and spirituality.
Here’s a short compilation exploring the relationship between unity and peace.
The relationship between religion and spirituality is possibly the most volatile topic on the planet !
I started a discussion in an online forum about religion/spirituality that ran from June 15 to July 24. Even though it’s a public forum, I edited out all names and handles except mine—Alex and amzolt. I left mine because I don’t mind being identified and I was the “moderator” of the discussion. I deleted the other names and emails to give them relative privacy… Check it out: Religion ?vs? Spirituality
“The mass of the people are occupied with self and worldly desire, are immersed in the ocean of the nether world and are captives of the world of nature, save those souls who have been freed from the chains and fetters of the material world and, like unto swift-flying birds, are soaring in this unbounded realm. They are awake and vigilant, they shun the obscurity of the world of nature, their highest wish centereth on the eradication from among men of the struggle for existence, the shining forth of the spirituality and the love of the realm on high, the exercise of utmost kindness among peoples, the realization of an intimate and close connection between religions and the practice of the ideal of self-sacrifice.”
‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 281
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Our Evolution 
Why edit out all names except yours? Seems like a bit of good old American pride is getting in the way of truth….
Archie,
I’m sorry I didn’t make my intentions clearer.
I left my name because I don’t mind being identified and I was the “moderator” of the forum.
I deleted all others because they want their relative privacy, not because I’m prideful… Even though it is a public forum, my publishing it would spread names and email addresses far too widely for the relative privacy they deserve…
A man thinks in his heart,so is he.
The purpose of life is a life of purpose,
Imagination should be used,not to escape reality,but to create it.
You are a masterpiece of a creation,of a writer as well as a poet..Alex.!
Catherine,
Whew!! Such a complement !!
Now I have to live up to it 😉
Most people rarely think.True thinking is instantaneous.All deliberation and analysis are based upon the constrated ego of Social conditioning.!!
Catherine,
That one I will ponder deeply !
Having watched the thread that you spoke of, I must say that I found it quite enjoyable, and will say that you handled it quite well.
That was an adventure, even for a risk-taker like me!
Thanks for the encouraging comment!
I was especially worried when one contributor discredited my comments because I was a Baha’i. I must have done something right, though, because it ended up they shared their own feeling on spirituality….
amzolt, you choose electrifying topics that rejuvenate the soul. The Gandhi stories are wonderful teachers themselves. Each person offers wisdom and we can find our own untapped wisdom inside ourslves with a bit of prompting and self-reflection.
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