IN ONE SPIRIT: An Interfaith Approach to Peace & Wellness in Jerusalem, the Middle East & the World

By DANIEL MARK

The Author lived in East & West Jerusalem for more than ten years working as a wholistic, interfaith, peace educator. He is a Muslim mystic who completed the Pilgrimage to Mecca & Madinah. He is also a Jewish mystic with a Judeo-Christian, American Israeli background. He worked on a Doctorate in Public Health Sciences at Loma Linda Unive

• Language: English
• Publisher: Peaceful Interfaith Creations
• Release date: Jan 29, 2017
• ISBN: 9780692841013

Book preview

Preface

Aloha, Greetings, Salaam, and Shalom,

Hopefully from the start, you will see that this book is about us… each and every one of us…

In One Spirit is a compilation of personal adventures, spiritual journeys, international experiences and interfaith lessons. By reading these pages and exploring the concepts herein, I hope you will find a number of practical and refreshing perspectives. The pages that follow are my attempt to write an abridged, integrated worldview with wide appeal. Open-hearted, open-minded worldviews help us to appreciate diversity and encourage ‘live and let live’ attitudes. As we learn to value others, our traditions and ideals can come together to create more rich and joyful lives, as well as a more cohesive theory explaining how we are ONE in spirit. If we hurt others, we hurt ourselves as well. When we care for others, we care for ourselves as well.

This book emphasizes the importance of positive thinking and how forgiveness, acceptance and empathy can jump-start a sustainable movement that supports responsible peace and security along with environmental healing. International and interfaith relationships can also be improved if we appreciate our common ground, work cooperatively together and live wholistically.

This world faces many, big challenges. By taking a closer look at our potential as well as how history has impacted you and me, I believe that we can recognize and apply a number of practical principles involving balance, health and harmony to the way we choose to live our individual lives. In so doing, we can cultivate and promote peace and wellness in our homes, in our communities and in our world.

Even though this book draws upon decades of my personal, spiritual and mystical explorations, it could be about anyone with similar travels and travails. I invite you to journey along with me, so you too can experience some of these amazing adventures. I hope you will be able to experience some of the ‘highs’ of the journey vicariously. I hope you will also be able to learn from my experience so that you can avoid many potential pitfalls. Perhaps you are like me, a perpetual student dedicated to lifelong learning. I believe that when we stop learning, we start dying; therefore, I regularly take an honest inventory of my life, evaluating ways to strengthen my body, my heart and my mind. As a result of my adventures into the realms of health, science, mysticism, nature and sexuality, I can share personal, experiential knowledge and some expertise along with educated opinions, spiritual intuitions and a number of creative concepts that may help you or someone you love. Aside from my college education which awarded me a bachelor’s degree in education (specializing in math and computer science) and a master’s degree (specializing in interactive educational communications), I also have certificates as a hospice volunteer and a physical trainer. Plus I have almost completed the coursework to get a doctorate in health sciences and a doctorate in public health. On top of that I have lived in a wide variety of places where I learned firsthand about multicultural diversity and interfaith cooperation. I lived in Israel, Hawaii, East Jerusalem, Guam and Peru. I lived overseas approximately 20 years in total, primarily in the Middle East. I was the founder and director of a nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering wholistic health and wholistic peace. It was called Har Eitan Makom Shalom which means the Mt. of Strength Place of Peace. As part of my work, I consulted with officials from the Israeli government, the Palestinian Authority, the US government, the European Union and a wide range of other organizations. I travelled extensively speaking about compassionate interfaith communications. I took many notes and began formulating this book along the way. This is my life’s work.

The author Joseph Campbell, an expert on comparative religions, describes our life’s work as a hero’s journey. Since each of us live in a world with unknowns, each of us has multiple opportunities to explore various mysteries and mystical realms. Whether you are far along the path or just beginning, interfaith study is a hero’s journey, accessible to anyone brave enough to look for hidden treasures, the elixirs of life. I believe that there is meaning and purpose in each of our lives. Practical adventures into the unknown can help us to find our purpose as well as the people and places with whom we may fulfill that purpose.

As we share this journey, you’ll meet insights into your own self-discovery. I hope that I can inspire you to engage in meaningful journeys of your own, and that you’ll inspire me to engage in meaningful, new journeys as well. Even one little journey of the mind can be profoundly helpful. As more and more of us wake up to the dangers of arrogance, cultural conditioning and prejudice; we will see a beautiful, interfaith movement grow. Together we can positively and patiently redirect the world in peaceful and creative ways. We can also encourage and empower each other with uplifting beliefs, words and projects.

I have studied with great men and women as well as plain, ordinary folk. I try to listen carefully. The wind, the earth and the seas also have lessons to impart. Much of the wisdom that resonates with me has been around for centuries in one place or another. I have been gathering pieces and trying to fit them together like a puzzle. A foundation has been laid by countless others, allowing us to add original ideas and to build new structures. Even though parts of that foundation are crumbling, I am grateful to those that came before us. We are very fortunate that we can learn lessons from their successes and failures as well as from each other.

Many people have encouraged me to write this book. I write these pages in an effort to honor those requests. I also write because I feel the world’s desperate need for focus and direction. I believe that people have greater capacities to love, learn and cooperate than we are currently acknowledging. Many distractions interfere with our potential to grow and get along. There are times when anger, fear or sadness derail or entrap our better natures. Anger and fear close hearts and minds. I have personally experienced this countless times; however with gentle reminders from wise friends and loved ones, I have been able to refocus my attention and find pathways to the higher ground of love and inspiration. Beauty, wisdom, nature and love open hearts and minds back up. By sharing our stories, our wisdom and our love, we can help ourselves as well as countless others climb out of the dark, dirty and dangerous dungeons of despair and point us in the direction of responsible health, peace and security. I believe that each of us hold keys to friendship, freedom and fun. Together we can unlock hidden potentials within us which can bring us the peace and security we desire.

So far, nations around the world have found it impossible to secure our homes, our businesses or our borders. The reasons are becoming clearer and clearer that community leaders only look at small portions of the overall picture. As a result, partial truths are combined with misinformation, exaggerations, false assumptions and unhealthy biases.

The search for truth and solutions has defined my adult life. I have also experimented with various exercises, techniques and lifestyles. As a result of my explorations, I point to this book and a new organization that I am launching. It is a non-profit organization called, Peaceful Interfaith Creations. We will be promoting wholistic health and wholistic peace throughout the world. I believe that the world needs a new strategy that carefully considers the whole picture, the whole truth and the whole story.

The need for clarity in all we do is of crucial importance. Currently there is a considerable amount of misunderstanding and misinformation in the world. Much of this is based on historical distortions, religious biases and cultural prejudices. In many cases it is due to poor translations, conflicting definitions or false assumptions. Unfortunately many of these misunderstandings grow over time. Unless corrected, the distortions are often passed down from generation to generation. At the same time, some important truths become buried deeper and deeper making them harder to find.

Children are often sheltered from the complexities of the world. In my case, I was raised in a Caucasian, Christian neighborhood in the heartland of the USA. As a child, I thought that everyone spoke English, believed in God, went to Lutheran churches and believed that America was the greatest country in the world. I was obviously naïve and unaware of the beauty and richness found in cultural diversity. Fortunately as I moved from place to place, I learned that my initial understanding was incomplete. I still have much to learn; however, I have learned that there are many more countries, cultures, languages and religions than I ever thought possible as a boy. It also became clear to me that most children worldwide are taught similar kinds of stereotypes. As a result, many adults still harbor thoughts and behaviors associated with childish beliefs due to our cultural conditioning.

Since our primary culture, language and beliefs are the most familiar to us that is why we usually feel most comfortable with them. As a result, most of us tend to exaggerate the importance of our own particular comfort zones. As a result, many of us focus on staying in our own comfort zones even if our lifestyles interfere with the survival needs of ourselves or others. As a result, many of us still have some growing up to do socially, emotionally, spiritually and environmentally.

Understandably, many people believe that one culture or language is better than another. Unfortunately many children assume that one’s mother tongue and country of origin are superior to all the rest. Unfortunately many adults are slow to correct those exaggerated assumptions. Even more unfortunate, many adults harbor stereotypes and prejudices of this sort as well. As a result, conflicts and wars spring up in many places around the world, degrading our health as well as our environment. Languages are meant to be tools for communication. As long as we can communicate clearly, the choice of which language(s) we speak becomes secondary. Is it worth fighting a war over which language or culture is the best? Think of all the lives that could be saved from such silly wars, if we simply learned a bit about other languages and cultures.

A fresh look at the world from a larger, multicultural and multilingual perspective can help us dramatically. Whether you are totally secular, very religious or somewhere in between; a deeper appreciation for beauty, wisdom, life and love has the potential to facilitate global cooperation, regardless of the language or culture we grew up in. Together we can sweep away much of the prejudice and misinformation in our minds as well as the world around us. Together we have the potential to create amazing relationships, to develop ideas, build projects and inspire healthful, peaceful movements. Together we can build multicultural understanding, develop mutual trust and create interfaith respect. In so doing, we can also cultivate more Beauty, Wisdom, Life and Love.

Traveling around the world helped me open my mind and my heart. I experienced firsthand many wonderful people, places and ideas that helped me integrate new insights into a wholistic worldview. Fortunately each of us can gather information, validate truths and share our lives with others. Considering that your time to research various beliefs and to travel to the Middle East may be limited, I would like to share some of my travels and insights with you. Experiences from my personal life can give those without much interfaith experience assistance in relating to others from other religious backgrounds or perspectives. Please keep in mind though that this book is ultimately about our collective journey. It is about health, sustainability, responsible peace and security. These are issues that affect each of us. Common sense and common ground connect us. Cultivating that awareness strengthens our abilities to relate to and work with each other. We can communicate with each other in profound ways if and when we allow it.

I have been fortunate in many regards; however, I also experienced some major setbacks, challenges and close encounters with death. I’ve witnessed heavenly and hellish conditions in terms of politics and religion. Fortunately each of these experiences provided important lessons to share. I learned to be more appreciative of Wisdom, Enigmas, Life and Love. I learned to be more respectful of family members, friends and alternative healing therapies. I also learned to be more careful with my words, my diet, my actions and my attitudes.

I still make mistakes, but hopefully I catch myself more quickly than before. Hopefully, I learn my lessons more thoroughly and make any necessary corrections more gracefully. Some individuals have misunderstood me along the way. That may be natural to some degree considering that I question the status quo regularly and experiment with alternative lifestyles from time to time. I hope this book will help you understand me and facilitate more understanding in your relationships.

Historical events and current events affect you and me in profound ways, even if we are unaware of the events or their affects. How we live today will significantly impact our collective future. Fortunately, we can learn from each other and work together to achieve mutually beneficial goals. By empathizing with each other, gaining a better comprehension of world events and interfaith spirituality, each of us will be empowered and inspired. We’ll discover practical principles that will guide us and help us to solve the problems that we face.

After we’ve journeyed together in this book, I hope that we’ll have a much better understanding of:

1. people around the world;

2. the historical influences on Middle East events;

3. what we can do to make the world a better, safer place.

Please keep in mind that this book is my personal, heartfelt message to you and others interested in creative, beneficial change. I look forward to deepening our connections, learning from each other and hopefully working together. Each of us can speak up and act kindly. In so doing, we cultivate compassion, hope and greater awareness. Together we can create the conditions necessary for responsible peace and security at home and abroad.

I look forward to the days when wisdom, generosity, life and love completely replace ignorance, greed, stress, hatred. I hope the messages in this book bring healing, joy, justice and peace to all who read it. In so doing, we can be positive influences in our generations’ spiritual, mental and physical development as well as in generations to come.

I hope to hear back from you regarding your experiences and insights. Your ideas about our collective health and harmony will be especially fascinating to me. If anything in this book is unclear, please let me know. You are welcome to share any questions or comments you may have via my email address:

[e-mail]

Let’s continue this conversation!

Yerushalayim, City of Shalom

A place considered holy by Muslims, Christians, Jews & many others

Chapter 1

Utilizing the Same Terminology

"It is easier to fool people than it is to

convince them that they have been fooled"

Mark Twain

"The truth will ultimately prevail

if there are pains to bring it to light"

George Washington

As you can see, I have quite a few names. I was given two of these names at birth and the rest I acquired in adulthood. Eventually I will explain the meaning behind each one. But first, let me say that I believe that the meaning behind a name influences who one is as an individual as well as part of a group. For instance, even though my first name is Daniel, I grew up hearing people call me ‘Danny’. Those names have two very different meanings.

I grew up feeling pretty secure as a kid; however, I still faced a number of emotional upsets. There were some biggies including the political assassinations of John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr. Between those two events, I had one of my first life-defining moments. It occurred one evening, when my Dad came home from work very upset. He changed the channel on our only tv from some kids’ show to the evening news: I saw back to back, televised images of the Vietnam War and the race riots in Detroit, my birthplace. Both had chaotic scenes in which civilian and people in uniforms were screaming. The thought that these real life events were happening terrified me! And to make matters worse, I thought both of them were occurring close to home. It took a couple of hours for my parents to calm me down. But learning about war and the possibility that someday I (as well as my brothers and male classmates) could be drafted… deeply affected me. I sincerely prayed that night that the riots would stop and that my family would be protected from the rioters. I also prayed that the Vietnam War would stop, and that somehow my brothers, my friends and I could be freed from military service our whole lives. A few days later, the riots did stop and all of my family was safe. All our belongings were secure as well. I truly believed that the first half of my prayer and that the rest of my deeply, heartfelt request would be answered too.

Being called Danny was okay as a kid, but it felt a bit too childish when I became a teen, so I asked my friends and family to call me ‘Dan’. Over the next few years, I was faced with a number of inspiring events: Greenpeace began saving whales, the Beatles came to America, the first man walked on the moon, thousands of young people protested in support of nuclear disarmament and there was the birth of a sexual revolution. During that time, I was persuaded to do a couple of years of study in my parents’ church. I learned about the Bible, Lutheran history and the geography of the Middle East.

I was impressed by Jewish and Christian activists, like Moses, Yeshua and Martin Luther. Unfortunately I also learnt that there were some questionable, controversial and provocative behaviors taking place in and around our church as well. Ironically, I stopped going to church right after my confirmation. But something changed in me, something that got me questioning traditional beliefs as well as the value of religious participation. I began wondering, What is really true? As I questioned my parents and other trusted adults around me, I realized that there are truths, half-truths as well as inconsistencies regarding the application of truth. Untangling these seems to be a process of clarification that is taking many generations. In many ways, that began my spiritual quest… I found that asking questions and looking for answers is extremely beneficial. What I failed to realize though was that I was being overly analytical, too serious and at times critical. My young ego with its prejudice, fears and misperceptions got in the way. As a result, I started to close my heart to what I determined was a flawed and fallible human race.

When I was 16 or so, America ended the military draft; plus the end of the Vietnam War was in sight. Double Yay! My brothers, male classmates and I were freed from military service! Despite the second half of my childhood prayer being answered, I rebelled. First I became an agnostic and then an avowed atheist. As a result, the first two years of my adult life turned out to be the lowest years of my life… In an attempt to deaden the pain, I experimented with alcohol, drugs and sex. My heart was broken, my health deteriorated and any sense of purpose that I may have had was seriously confused. To make matters worse, I became anemic and shortly thereafter developed skin cancer on both sides of my face.

I wanted to run away but I was afraid that wherever I went I would find similar problems. When I told my almost unconditionally loving Mom that I might be gay, she freaked out! She cried and screamed and threatened me. After a few minutes though she composed herself enough to say that I was probably going through a phase and that I had to stop thinking that way. I thought life was hard enough without such pressures. If my own Mom was going to hate me, I figured the rest of the world would hate me too. So I decided to take a quick and final exit. Fortunately after a failed attempt to electrify myself in a bathtub full of water, I began to look at life anew. Electricity was actually flowing through my body for 4 or 5 minutes while my life flashed in front of me. When I realized that I was still breathing, I began wondering if some divine force was intervening in my life. I began to look for answers instead of problems. I started to see that there could be a purpose for my life. I wondered what it could be. I also began to realize that distrust makes it harder to live and to love. I was still skeptical about organized religion though, so I began exploring university libraries, looking for wisdom to guide my life. Initially I hoped that philosophy would steer me in beneficial ways. Soon Western philosophies led me to Eastern philosophies and that quickly led me to Eastern religions. As I exercised and opened my logical mind, I began experimenting with pescetarian, vegetarian and vegan diets. I also found that my heart was opening back up as well. Instead of rebelling against established institutions, I decided to study how various systems developed. I soon discovered many similarities between ethics, the US legal system as well as eastern and western religions. That allowed me to read the Bible more objectively from cover to cover. I wanted to learn what the Holy Scriptures had to say directly and in whole. As I looked deeper into Western religions, I made connections between many of the world’s philosophers and spiritual teachers.

I began to believe that there is something greater than matter… perhaps a collective subconscious… perhaps something supernatural or maybe a mysterious force that is more understanding, more compassionate and more merciful than me. I got much more than I hoped for… I found multiple paths to beauty, wisdom, life and love. In fact I started to believe that the summation of Wisdom, Enigmas (mystery), Life & Love (WELL) is a reasonable approximation for God. So when communicating with people who have a bad association with religion, I like to use the word WELLness instead of saying Adonai, Allah, God, HaShem, YHVH or the more cumbersome terminology of Wisdom, Enigmas, Life & Love. It seems that ideas of WELLness are easier to relate to and more universally appealing. Focusing on WELLness has affected my life in many remarkable ways as well.

As a result, my life was transformed. I moved from a cold, polluted and provincial city where I felt trapped in a somewhat dysfunctional home to a beautiful, cosmopolitan and warm place called Hawaii, the Garden of Eden American style. I was a stranger in a strange new land. I was also a math and computer science student at the main campus of the University of Hawaii. Since I was unknown there, there were few assumptions and even fewer expectations on me. Family ties were loosened considerably as well. For a few years before I arrived in Hawaii, I felt like a starving, root bound indoor plant. As soon as I moved, I felt like I was transplanted outdoors into healthy soil with plenty of room, sunshine and nutrients for rapid growth.

Shortly after I arrived in Hawaii, I began to do internal cleansings. I fasted one day a week for about a year. The rest of the week, I ate an abundance of fresh, organic, tropical fruit. I began to meditate. I also walked, swam and biked a lot in the sunshine and trade winds flowing off the Pacific Ocean. Within months my anemia went away. My dermatologist wanted to surgically remove my skin cancer and he sternly warned me to keep my skin covered in chemical sunscreens whenever I was in the sun. I chose instead to use vitamins, minerals, herbs and aloe vera to shrink the cancerous growths. Within three months I was completely cancer free and remained so ever since!

You could say that I was spiritually starved before that time, and that I made up for it by visiting Buddhist, Catholic, Hindu, Jewish, Mormon, Protestant and Sufi establishments. I asked a lot of questions and took a few classes on world religions. I also met a man and a woman who had each spent a year in Israel and loved it. We became close friends and got involved in a Jewish youth group. By then, I had begun to realize that my early Christian experience was somewhat mythological. It was heavily influenced by American culture and pretty much disconnected from Judaism. My early conditioning of ‘Jesus’ was being replaced by an appreciation for a historical man named ‘Yeshua’ who was one of the most respected and yet one of the most misunderstood teachers and rabbis of all times. Rabbi Yeshua was a Sabbath-keeping Jew who loved and helped people. He had direct experience with the people and the lands of Israel, Egypt, Judea and Samaria. Plus he was an activist who stood up against: 1) the Roman occupation of Israel and Judea, as well as, 2) the corrupt, politically-appointed, Temple priests of that time. Unfortunately, modern Christianity bears little similarity to the actual practices of Rabbi Yeshua: practices like remembering the Biblical holy days, keeping the Sabbath, eating kosher foods and recognizing that each month begins with the new moon.

Unfortunately Yeshua’s name was also anglicized and the meaning of his Hebrew name, ‘Salvation’, was more or less forgotten. To make matters worse great controversies have sprung up around the notion of the trinity. Was Yeshua an extremist, a heretic, a prophet, a messiah, the Messiah, God in human form or some combination of these? Was Yeshua a Jew, a Christian and or a Muslim? I believe that some of the answers to these questions can be found through open hearted investigation and meditation; and some of the answers are mysteriously hidden until the right time. Some aspects of belief are theoretical, some are based on intuitions and some are socially conditioned. Faith, by its very nature, is beyond human understanding which often makes it hard to put into exact words. For this reason, faith is very personal and mysterious.

Considering that human beings can accept that there are many unsolved mysteries in the universe; it seems only fair that we also accept unsolved mysteries with regard to faith as well. An appreciation for mysteries and for mysticism can help us experience wisdom, life and love with more open hearts and more open minds. Plus it can help us understand history and appreciate multicultural diversity.

More life-defining moments

About a year after I moved to Hawaii, I had another life-defining moment. The morning after being interviewed in depth by a friend of a friend (a kind, middle aged Christian man, named Mr. B.), he brought me to a men’s group at a Nazarene church on the Big Island for an early morning, prayer meeting. I found myself, the center of attention, while a dozen or so men laid hands upon me and prayed for my salvation. Mr. B. gently guided me through 30 minutes of personal, heartfelt prayers which helped me to completely forgive myself, my parents and anyone else who I held a grudge against. I admit I was tired of carrying around those grudges. I also admit that it felt very odd praying with a bunch of strangers about my personal life; but I did feel something kind of magical take place. It was like a warm energy swirling around inside me… almost as if a gentle tornado was cleaning out the anger, bitterness and other cobwebs in my life. Whatever it was, it opened my heart and unleashed a flood of genuine tears. Immediately afterward, I felt stronger, lighter, clearer and freer than I ever had before. For the next three or four days, people commented on the light emanating from my face and the obvious changes in my expression. Something else happened as well; I understood that the Bible was a love story between God and nature, including all mankind. Every page, every paragraph, every sentence, every word and every letter is bound together by true, 100% unconditional love.

I soon became close friends with a large group of young adults from the Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) church. I was especially impressed with the SDA’s combination of Christian, Jewish and health promoting principles. Because of my growing faith, you could say that love began to define my life; and for the same reason, an unquenchable desire to visit the Holy Land developed in me.

While my college studies continued, I took on a couple of unusual jobs: first I did some volunteer work with two bottlenose dolphins at the Kewalo Basin Marine Mammal Lab. Then I got paid to lead high school cruises around the Hawaiian Islands on an 86 foot yacht called the Destiny where I taught students about sailing, navigation, ocean biology and chemistry. Later, I worked at the Waikiki Aquarium where I occasionally had to get into a tank with friendly, medium sized sharks in order to clean the tank. Back at school, I started off studying math & computer science. I toyed with the idea of becoming an engineer like my father and two uncles, but I felt a strong pull though toward wholistic health and wellness. I tried to create an interdisciplinary degree in that field, but the dean of the college of arts and sciences refused to approve it. Even so, I continued studying under Dr. Mitsuo Aoki, the founder of the Department of Religion at UH/Manoa, who was one of my professors as well as my trusted advisor. I had two classes with him: one on the world’s major religions and one on death and dying. Dr. Aoki arranged for me to hear Dr. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross and the Dali Lama speak in person.

Before I graduated from college, I became concerned that my names had additional meaning in Hebrew. Dan means ‘judge’; and Danny means ‘my judge’. Perhaps on a subconscious level, I realized that I was too serious. I had also been guilty of judging myself and others harshly at times. I wanted to stop that behavior. I realized that I lacked enough information and wisdom to judge anyone fairly. I believe that goes for everyone else too. Fortunately, Daniel means ‘God is my Judge’. So I decided to let our Creator do all the judging from then on. Fortunately, our Creator is more compassionate and more merciful than anyone on this planet. As a result, I was re-baptized: this time by full immersion in the Pacific Ocean. To emphasize my rebirth and the healing it brought to me, I asked my friends and family to call me by a new name. I dropped my last name which felt like a misnomer. My middle name, Mark, became my last name. Daniel Mark became my new name. My new beliefs caused a bit of a stir; perhaps because I hoped and prayed that others in my family would change as well. There was some resistance to my name change, but there was also much appreciation that my life had turned around. I was happy and I was making progress academically. Shortly after that, I got a bachelor’s degree in education specializing in math and sciences. I am very thankful to many people on the Hawaiian Islands for teaching me by example about aloha, communication, education, ethnobotany, family, spirituality and many other uplifting principles. Along the way, I felt that many of my beliefs were confirmed in very practical, personal and uplifting ways.

About the same time that I learned what my first name really meant, I also had an insight about judges and other authority figures. Every person alive has faulty senses at times. Sometimes our eyes or ears play tricks on us. We may misunderstand someone’s words or intentions too. That makes it very difficult to trust anyone a hundred percent. Every teacher, parent, religious leader and government official is subject to human error. I started wondering how many of the things that I was taught as a child were correct and which ones needed correcting. I started searching for answers to those questions.

Instead of trusting someone’s spoken or written word right away, I like to know if it is an opinion, a theory, a fact, a fantasy or a fiction. I like to know if it is being reported by an eyewitness or by a friend of a friend of a friend. I also like to know if it was meant to be critical, manipulative or uplifting.

It is estimated that 70% of Europeans were illiterate when the printing press was invented in 1440. Centuries later, the United Nations did a survey in 1950 which concluded that 44% of the world was illiterate. Today that figure is down to 13.7%. This is extremely important considering people have been waging wars, battles and street fights over hand me down teachings for centuries. Even today, many stories and beliefs are spread verbally. Unfortunately verbal reporting often includes exaggerations and deletions which can transform a true story into something less than 100% true. I prefer to know who I can trust and which versions of histories are valid. How and what we are taught affects us in profound ways, sometimes in beneficial ways and sometimes in harmful ways. Fortunately we are capable of unlearning some lessons, and sometimes we can recondition our minds as well as our bodies.

Shortly after graduation, I moved to Israel for my second teaching job. The moment I got off the plane, I felt a strange but familiar sense of home. I taught English as a second language to students at the Health and Language Center in Nazareth. I also helped people with exercise programs, nutritional awareness and the benefits of smoking cessation. Moving to the Holy Land was another life-defining experience as well as a huge dream come true! I worked in Nazareth with a couple from Europe, a man from Canada and a man from the West Bank. I lived in Natseret Elit, which is predominantly Jewish. My students were mostly Arab Muslims and Christians ranging in ages from five to fifty-five. My neighbors were mostly Jewish immigrants from the Soviet Union. During my first year in Israel, I learned about the world and the Middle East conflict in much greater detail than ever before. I rose in love with the ancient lands where Abraham, Ishmael and Isaac lived.

I liked my work in Nazareth, but even more I loved going to Jerusalem. Jerusalem is a very special place indeed! It was special to King David, to Rabbi Yeshua as well as to the Prophet Muhammad. These men were alike in many ways, particularly in the ways in which each exercised love and patience, as well as the ways each spoke out against the corrupt governments of their times. Each of the Prophets can inspire us and expand our perceptions if we are open to the lessons each offers.

I found many wonderful people, ideas and places in the Middle East. Unfortunately the international media, especially western media, ignores most of the uplifting stories there; instead the news focuses on the conflict and the most prominent personalities. This skews the perceptions that the world has of the Middle East in favor of politicians, big businesses and other questionable agendas. Since I have experienced the Middle East in such a different light, I feel a responsibility to unveil and share the rest of the picture.

Fortunately new understandings and technologies have come into being over time. Unfortunately some of these have been limited to certain places. Fortunately today, information is accessible in a number of different languages worldwide with a few clicks of a button. Unfortunately there is so much information that is can be overwhelming. Hopefully an objective summary (focusing on generations of wisdom, life and love) can help to move us away from confusion, away from bitterness and away from agony into a more aware, more centered and more wholesome place of peace. In order to do that, though, we may have to make some adjustments in our attitudes or lifestyles. Living abroad certainly helped me to do that, and I encouraged everyone to try it and give it a fair chance.

Even without living abroad, my family made a number of adjustments in lifestyle and attitudes because of me. As I changed my diet, my spiritual practices and my countries of residence, I would explain why I was doing what I did. I worked to keep the lines of communication open within my family. Often, I would see heads wobble in amazement or confusion. Even when those around me seemed to resist change, I noticed changes: there were positive changes in awareness, in styles of communication and in tolerance. Change is natural and widespread. Little changes add up and can have profound affects over time. People need change and diversity, otherwise life would be plain and boring. I personally love to learn and to integrate new lessons; as a result, change is usually a welcome part of my life.

I believe that humanity is about to experience a profound shift in understanding. It feels like we are being squished and somewhat polarized as we squeeze through a narrow birth canal. The foundations of our societies are being stretched because we are outgrowing narrow-minded institutions. Instead of seeing the world in all its glory and pain, we start life with relatively simple worldviews. Baby brains start off small and self-centered. As we grow up and gradually make more sense of the universe at large, we also become more empathetic. Initially our views are influenced by emotion, logic and cultural biases, but if we learn and experience other cultures, we can let go of the prejudices and biases that fail us. In contrast to those who live in the same country from birth to death, I unlocked many of the chains that held me to my relatively sheltered upbringing. As a result, I learned how to be more flexible and accepting. Fortunately others can learn from such examples.

I am fascinated by people’s life stories. It’s a joy exploring other cultures, exposing myself to ‘foreign’ languages and a wide variety of spiritual experiences. In the process, I became relatively free from my cultural conditioning as well as from other social pressures. Through close observations of nature and an appreciation of how wildlife thrives without money, I learned how to simplify my life, to live closer to nature and to live as debt free as possible. Materialism and debts can be traps and forms of bondage. I also learned that increased freedoms come with increased responsibilities and maturity. Being considerate of social norms is conducive to getting along at home and abroad. As an educator, I wondered how we could raise awareness worldwide about consideration, cooperation and peace. I believe that part of the answer is to balance the needs of an individual with the needs of his or her community. Too much individualism can lead to selfishness and alienation; likewise too many social restraints can lead to rebellion and social degradation. It’s also important to remember that human needs are much more important than human desires.

Even though my family desired that I would continue to be like them, I needed to embrace all truths wherever and whenever I could. In other words, I have attempted to understand and integrate as much wisdom, life and love as possible. Through considerable research, good luck and effort, I have come into contact with the highways, byways and skyways as well as the coattails of many esteemed philosophers and spiritual leaders from around the world. There is so much to see, to learn and to do. And each of us have so much to share as well!

I have found that people in the East have significantly different priorities than people in the West. Surprisingly I found that Muslims, Christians and Jews share many similar values and stories. Even so, it seems that every nation, ethnicity and creed has a degree of exclusive pride that can create barriers in understanding people from other nations, ethnicities or creeds. Instead of appreciating different points of view, some people cling to cultural prejudices that are judgmental and dangerous. A much broader perspective (with deeper consideration for each other) can make the world safer and more rewarding. Stretching our perspectives is more necessary now than ever before. We have a big job ahead: one that will require the coordinated efforts of more and more people. We can transform limited, sheltered perspectives towards more compassionate and more reasonable wholistic perspectives. By nurturing the inherent beauty and wisdom contained in life, love and mysteries, we can work and play together with much more cooperative manners and achieve more desirable results.

Much of the confusion in the world today began in the Fertile Crescent thousands of years ago. That part of the world is known as the cradle of civilization and the heart of the Middle East; it is also the birthplace of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. I believe it is important for us to understand what happened then and there. Only with a deeper understanding can we really begin to unravel the mysteries and untangle the mess that is there today. The Middle East Conflict has baffled and stymied governments, religious leaders, political parties, humanitarian organizations as well as countless individuals for centuries.

Since the Second World War, major advancements have taken place in military armaments, communications and transportation. Since that war, the Arab Israeli conflict has erupted over and over again. A solution to the problem has been elusive, in part because secular governments have tried to impose political and economic models of peace. Instead of understanding the need for a broader, more wholistic agreement, there have been piecemeal attempts that miss important issues, especially the spiritual ones.

It’s very challenging to get people from widely diverse backgrounds and beliefs to agree on anything. Trying to hammer out a fair and sustainable peace treaty in a week or a month or even a few years is akin to forcing a watermelon or a camel through the eye of a needle. Let’s consider that in order to justly and compassionately deal with all the issues, it will take x amount of time, trust, commitment, sincerity, honesty and resources. With the right focus facilitated by technology, x can be divided by the number of people involved. If one ego or a small group of government officials tries to solve the challenges it will take much, much longer than if millions of people work together to solve the challenges. Coordinating busy schedules to meet face to face complicates that further. However, if we could channel some time whenever we want and the technology facilitates what we are doing, both of those complications could be removed. Too often, governments have been too busy with other agendas to give the Middle East Peace Process the attention it deserves. Unfortunately some of those agendas include spying, corruption, the spreading of misinformation and targeted assassinations. As a result, there is a lot of distrust, pain and arrogance to deal with besides the handling of national boundaries, reparations, terrorism, occupation and refugees.

Fortunately there are other options besides political or religious ones. One approach that Arabs, Israelis, Muslims, Christians, Jews and even secular people may appreciate is based on logic and compassion. Some might call it spiritual while others might label it as new age, but the bottom line is that it could work if given a chance. Over the course of human history, evolutionary movements have begun, sometimes by accident and sometimes with intent, by an individual or a small group of people with accurate information and the will to spread it. In the last 100 years, people like Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King, Gandhi and Eleanor Roosevelt come to mind. Further back in time, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Muhammad, Yeshua, Moses and Abraham impacted history in profound ways. Their discoveries and lessons are still very much alive. Information is powerful, especially when the conditions are right for positive change. Mystical information can be particularly useful, because Kabbalists, Gnostics, Sufis and Shamans know how to stretch minds and open hearts in healthful and productive ways.

In 1994, at the age of 36 and nearly ten years back in the USA, I immigrated to Israel which was another important life-defining moment. Initially I was told I would be trained by the Israeli Defense Forces and I would have to do military reserve duty until I was in my 50’s. But when I told the Israeli official about my childhood prayer where I prayed that I would be exempt from military service my whole life, he told me that the Israeli Supreme Court was debating whether to change the law and if so I might actually be