Coexist.

The 7th grade students at my school are studying religion as part of their year-long theme of "Identity."  To begin the unit, they passed out questionnaires to everyone in the school, asking us to write down what religions we identify ourselves as.  Shockingly, I was the only one in the whole school who wrote "Buddhist/Taoist/Quaker/Agnostic."  This piqued their interest, to say the least.

As their final project for this unit, they each chose a different religion to study.  Part of their assignment was to interview someone of that faith.  At first, there was some upset among the students about how they would find people of these "exotic" religions.  Then one day, I happened to walk into the Social Studies classroom to deliver some handouts to their teacher.  This is how it went:

"Hey, I'm sorry to interrupt.  I'm just going to set these on your desk.  Could you hand them -" I say quietly to the Social Studies teacher as I sneak over to her desk.  I am quickly interrupted by a chorus of yelling students.

"Hey!  Melanie!"  They exclaim.  "Do you know anyone who is Buddhist?"

"Of course," I say.  "Lots of people."

"How about Taoist?" a boy asks.

"Yep."

"Rastafarian?" asks a boy in a Bob Marley t-shirt.

"Yep."

"Christian Scientist?" asks a girl with a blond braid and thick Uggs curled underneath her on the chair.

"Um. . . yep."

Over the next few days, 7th grade students streamed in and out of my office, asking for contacts of every religion under the sun.  The only two I was unable to produce were Scientology and Mormonism - and this I attribute simply to geography.

I guess I had never really thought about the fact that I have such a diverse group of friends.  The names I gave to each of these students are not of some distant acquaintances I met by happenstance long ago.  They are of dear friends who have all played a meaningful part in my life, and most of whom I spend time with on a regular basis.  

There was a time in my life when all of the people I would call friends were of the same religion - mine.  I surrounded myself with only those who thought like me and believed what I believed about life.  I certainly gained solidarity and support from these friendships, but I didn't learn much about the rest of the world, nor did I gain compassion for other ways of being.  I am happy to see how much my circle has expanded.

This whole 7th grade project has gotten me thinking.  What exactly do I value about having this diverse group of friends?  Here, for your enjoyment and mine, in no particular order, is a list of the various religions that my friends profess, and what I have learned from them:

From my Muslim friends, I have learned the value of community, devoted discipline, and the honor of being a woman and a mother.

From my Jewish friends, I have learned the beauty of tradition, honoring the ancestors, and telling sacred stories.

From my Christian friends, I have learned about zealous passion, beautiful song, and unwavering vision.

From my Catholic friends, I see the comfort and grounding that can come from meaningful rituals, especially when shared.

From my Ba'hai friends, I see a radical acceptance and deep love for the sacredness that can be found all around us.

From my Buddhist friends, I feel overwhelmingly, deeply, gratifyingly, radically, passionately, unconditionally loved.  Also, I have learned so much about the importance of stillness and silence in a balanced life.

From my Taoist friends, I have learned how to transform my mindset from "what can I do?" to "what is already happening and how can I align myself with that current?"

From my Pagan friends, I have learned the unspeakable wisdom that lies in every part of nature, from trees to rocks to tiny insects.  We have much to learn from these beings so often overlooked by other faiths.

From my Wiccan friends, I have learned that we all have power beyond our wildest dreams to transform life for us and those around us.

From my Rastafarian friends, I am reminded that insight comes from the most unexpected places, and that shared music and rhythm are a necessary part of life.

From my Christian Scientist friends, I have learned that the mind is a powerful tool for peace, transformation, and healing.

From my Agnostic friends, I have learned the value that comes from not knowing, and being at peace with that.

Finally, from my Quaker friends, among many, many things, I have learned to be patient with life; to sit in expectant listening and trust that a way will open.