by Stephanie Rutt
August 16, 2003

Most people say that they want peace. Trouble is, many have very different ideas of how to get there. Some say you have to fight for it. Others say fighting will never bring peace. When we think of peace as an outcome, such differences inevitably arise. However, if we think of peace as a process, something shifts. A new kind of listening begins to happen both to ourselves and to others. When even a few people who hold the intention to practice this kind of listening gather, the world is changed – not because the world is different but rather because we are different.

Think this all sounds good but is just not possible? Think again, for such small gatherings are happening right now in your community. The core of individuals forging this new kind of listening is the local Interfaith Council. The goal of the council is to honor the diversity in beliefs while seeking to recognize that which is common to all – a desire to experience peace and to feel a connection to that which unites us beyond our differences.

Recently, the Gifts of Grace Foundation joined the Souhegan Interfaith Council and I, as director, attended such a gathering. I sat around a table with a Christian, a Muslim, a Jew, a Baha’i and a Unitarian Universalist. We shared our ideas of how to create greater understanding and bring this understanding back to our community. How refreshing it was to truly celebrate our differences while at the same time recognizing our common heartbeat. I remember thinking, “Wow, peace is possible – one table – one small gathering at a time.”

Albert Schweitzer said, “Peace will never be kept by force. It can only be achieved through understanding.” This fall, the Souhegan and Nashua Interfaith Councils are launching a program to foster this new kind of listening and to promote greater understanding. It is called “To Hear How Others Pray.” Each month a representative from a different religious tradition will lead a discussion of how prayer is practiced in his or her tradition. We invite each of you to join us. To listen. To help foster individual and world peace – one gathering at a time.

The schedule and locations, click “To Hear How Others Pray.”

For more information, contact Stephanie Rutt at the Gifts of Grace Foundation at 672-3406.

Stephanie Rutt of Nashua is a member of the Nashua Area Interfaith Council.

Updated 07/21/2006 11:42 PM