measi's Diaryland Diary ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- patriotic isolation I have to admit, I do feel a bit isolated from other Americans as we unite as a country. Prayer services, vigils, the day of prayer... all have focused around churches, mosques, and synagogues. It's awkward being Pagan at a time like this. On Friday, we as a nation were asked to go to our places of worship, join together, and pray. Well, my place of worship is out in the world. For me to go into a church and pray there among those who had faith in the Christian form of God seems awkward. So I stayed at work and set up a makeshift altar on my desk to pray... alone, as I often have. Prayer vigils this weekend were also monotheistic. I didn't feel welcome at them as they prayed to God. I realize I'm probably being a bit hypersensitive about this in light of everything going on... but the Judeo-Christian concept of "God" has been heavily emphasized this past week on the news, from our President, and from the newspapers. Anything that deviates from the "norm" in this country is currently seen as un-American and unpatriotic. In Boston on Sunday morning, a group of Pagans got together on the Common to have their own healing vigil. Since the interfaith vigil at city hall plaza earlier in the week had not included us, Pagans again relied on themselves to pull through. While we're Americans and we love our country, we also are aware that within our country, we are a group separated. I can only imagine what is happening to Muslims of all backgrounds and Arabs in our country right now. My prayers go out to them to give them strength, because we do not need a replay of what happened to the Japanese during WWII in our country. Has America come together as a nation? For the most part, but the typical exclusion of those who are "different" remains. I only wonder how long it will be before that exclusion tears us apart again.... --mel. 10:31 a.m. - 17 September 2001 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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