Friendships without borders: a message from Ramya

I love Friday because it’s my day off and I don’t have to think about what’s happening in this world. I fact, I don't have to use my neurons at all. Friday is really about escape from the salt mines, a time for the family, the books, and movies. Sometimes, we really just hang out at Powerbooks Alabang for hours browsing possible good book buys. This morning though I got an email from a friend from India, Ramya Janakiraman (www.musingmoments.blogspot.com), an editor for a corporate publishing firm in Chennai who assured me she is fine and was not affected by the recent spate of bombings in her country. That email further gave me another reason to be happy about the weekend. But her message also makes me sad.

“I am fine, am in Mumbai, that happened in Varnasi, which is in another state,” said Ramya. “That is the religious pinnacle of Hinduism. That explains the bombings...I can only sigh at this sad state of affairs with no religious tolerance...Regards, Ramya."

Indeed, religious intolerance is increasingly becoming a scourge of this world, especially after 9/11. I wonder how accurate is Samuel Huntington's theory of the “clash of civilizations.” Is this the same reason why John Lennon wrote “Imagine” in 1971? Let me share the lyrics with you as we try to “enjoy” the weekend.

Imagine there's no heaven,
it's easy if you try,
no hell below us,
above us only sky.
Imagine all the people,
living for today yu-huh.
Imagine there's no countries,
it isn't hard to do,
nothing to kill or die for,
and no religion too.
Imagine all the people,
living life in peace yu-huh.
You may say I'm a dreamer
but I'm not the only one
I hope some day you'll join us,
and the world will be as one.
Imagine no possesions,
I wonder if you can,
no need for greed or hunger,
a brotherhood of man.
Imagine all the people,
sharing all the world yu-huh.
You may say I'm a dreamer ...
karma