Faith and more – John Van Sloten talks to the mayor

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There was a second in my current interview with Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek the place I started to really feel a deep sense of connection along with her. Not by way of the specifics of her life story, non secular background, or positions on municipal insurance policies per se, however, extra by way of who she was as a human being — how she handled individuals who had been totally different from her. In our extremely divisive and polarized world, Gondek appeared to embody compassion and respect.

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I first met Gondek two years in the past, in a time of private stress. I used to be getting lambasted for a progressive vaccination coverage at our church, and she or he reached out to me to supply encouragement and let me know that she had my again.

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What a superb individual, I believed. I’m only one citizen on this metropolis.

As our interview unfolded, I noticed that she strives to be this fashion with everybody.

When Gondek received elected to the workplace of mayor, she expressed gratitude for her (deceased) father’s affect — for the way he instilled a ardour for group service in her life. She used the phrase “seva” in her acceptance speech. Googling the time period, I discovered that, within the Sikh custom, seva means selfless service — humbly selling the welfare of others, with out discrimination, for the glory of God. Seva is about feeding the poor and caring for orphans, widows and the sick. To carry out seva is to guard the weak, and make room for the disabled, homeless and disenfranchised.

As a Christian religion chief, I couldn’t assist however discover the direct parallels to Christ’s teachings. Sikhism and Christianity had been extra alike than I knew. Gondek and I had been making an attempt to be extra human in related methods.

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Two months in the past, I used to be in New York Metropolis for a dialog in regards to the intersection of religion and science. These in attendance got here from numerous backgrounds — Jewish, Muslim, Christian, atheist and agnostic (and we had been gathering simply weeks after the assaults of Oct seventh in Israel.) Wanting again on that assembly, I nonetheless can’t imagine how mutually respectful and edifying it was. Everybody carried their educational information with humility and had room for the differing opinions of others. As a result of everybody acted this fashion, every individual there felt included and heard. By some means, by making room for others, all of us grew to become greater human beings. I discovered all of it so hopeful. . . and relieving.

I discover myself more and more exhausted by all of humanity’s warring methods — tradition wars, non secular wars, political wars, racial wars, id wars and literal wars. The extra we battle, the smaller we turn out to be. The extra we retreat into our silos and echo chambers, the extra blind and deaf we turn out to be — oblivious to the profound price to our personal humanity.

I don’t need to be a small individual. I need to stay an expansive life, a selfless life, a loving and serving life. I do know it’s dangerous being this type of individual in such a harsh world, however I’m satisfied it’s a threat I’ve to take — and that I’m not alone in feeling this fashion.

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I noticed the ability of this fashion of being human in NYC, in a Calgary mayor, and now I’m starting to see it in myself.

I’m studying that life isn’t a zero-sum sport; that there’s greater than sufficient room for everybody to belong. I don’t must all the time be afraid, or offended, or defensive. There are a variety of good folks in our world, and there’s a variety of goodness in every of us. If extra of us let that goodness out, laid our lives down for others, perhaps our world may change.

It did for one pal of mine. After watching my interview with the mayor on-line (at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFHUcDU7BRU) this pal despatched me a textual content. To be sincere, I didn’t know the way she’d reply to my conversing with a mayor that she’d usually (typically critically) disagreed with. Her response was hopeful: “You turned Jyoti into an actual, residing, respiratory, gracious individual for me. You led me to separate the politics from the individual. Thanks.”

John Van Sloten is a group theologian working to interact God in every single place — by way of science, artwork, work, sport, training, politics and all the pieces else. On February 10, he’ll be main an allthings(work) workshop at Ambrose College. (E-mail johnvansloten@gmail.com if you happen to’d wish to attend — both stay or through Zoom.)

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