"At certain moments, always unforeseen, I become happy…. I look at strangers near as if I had known them all my life…everything fills me with affection…It may be an hour before the mood passes, but ultimately I seem to understand that I enter upon it the moment I cease to hate."

There was once a very old and wise man who was enjoying the afternoon with his grandchildren when he posed the question: How do you know the night is over and the day has come? The children grew silent and pondered the question for several minutes.

Finally one of them spoke up, "You will know the night is over and the day has come when at dawn, you look out at a tree and you can tell whether it is an apple or a pear tree."

The old man politely acknowledged this response, but then repeated the question. This time, without pause, a second child stood up and said, "You will know the night is over and the day has come when you see an animal in the distance and you can tell whether it is a donkey or a horse." Again the old man politely acknowledged this response, but shaking his head, he repeated the question one more time.

The children, now too puzzled to answer, begged their grandfather to solve the dilemma he had created. Looking each child directly in the eyes, he wrapped his arms around them and said with a smile, "You will know the night is over and the day has come when you look into the eyes of any human being, and see there your brother or your sister. For if you do not see your brother or your sister, it is still night-the day has yet to come."

In America, the face of our brother or sister may look nothing like our own. We are what we have always been—a wonderful melting pot of all human beings that inhabit the earth—a microcosm of the entire planet—a little of this and a little of that. We come in different colors and with different beliefs. Perhaps nowhere on earth is there more diversity of race and religion than right here in the good old USA. We are a diverse people and our diversity is what makes us strong.

Our respect for one another, our ability to set aside our differences and understand each other's truth, is precisely what our country was founded upon. Brotherly-love as it is sometimes called, has allowed different cultures to co-exist in this country for over two hundred years. It hasn't always been easy, especially in the area of racial tension, but we continue to work at making it work. As difficult as it is to live up to sometimes, most Americans seem to have a deep-down understanding—if not always visible— that all men are created equal. We feel a connection to each other that transcends our differences and allows us to live right next door to someone with different beliefs and yet still relate to them as Americans. I believe that love is what makes this all possible.

Love stands for what we are for. Hate stands for what we are against. Focusing on what we are for will always unite us, focusing on what we are against will only separate us and split us apart. Hate is demanding and asks. "What can I get?" Love makes no such demands and asks, "What can I give?" Hate is a physical solution that often seeks death and destruction. Love is a spiritual solution that always seeks peace and understanding. Hate harms. Love heals.

In his letters to the Corinthians, Saint Paul wrote, "Love never fails." The word never means never. It's pretty clear, right? Yet, in times of crisis and emotional despair, we often let our egos take over and attempt to seek solutions not through love but through hate—not through cooperation and understanding, but through separation and intolerance. Far too often we seek to be understood before we seek to understand. Because we are fearful, we go for the quick fix that hate often provides, afraid to trust in the power of love.

Whether we choose to wear turbans or baseball caps, whether our heads are shaved or covered by a Hijab, whether we worship in a church, a synagogue, a mosque or none of the above, we are all connected to the same body—the universal power of love. We must embrace this power and cast fear aside, for our fate—not just as a country—but also as a diverse global community, depends on this: Will we live our lives in fear or in love?

To answer that question, consider the world's religions. Listed below are paraphrases from various religious groups. Notice how every group can agree on one thing—love. Love— not fear—is the common denominator that links all religions together under a unified spiritual umbrella. No matter what our faith, we all seem to share a common belief in love.

Buddhism: Let a man cultivate toward the whole world a heart of love.

Christian: God is love and you are God's children of the most high.

Islam: Love is this, that thou shouldst account thyself very little and God very great.

Judaism: Thou shall love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and thy neighbor as thy self.

Sikhism: God will regenerate those in whose hands there is love.

Hinduism: One can best worship the Lord through love.

New Age: All spiritual paths lead to God and God is love.

A Course in Miracles teaches, "I can choose peace rather than this." In every grave hour—in the gap between stimulus and response—lies the freedom to choose love over hate. We always have the option to take a deep breath and pause just long enough to be responsible—response-able—able to respond. In doing so, we can choose peace and thus create a world built upon the solid rock of love as opposed to the shifting sands of hate.

Love is the universal light that illuminates the heart and soul of every human being on earth—all six billion of us. Love is the spiritual bridge that spans our religious and cultural differences and leads us towards the path of tolerance and understanding. It is the spiritual glue that holds the universe together. Love gives us the power to mend fences, offer forgiveness and embrace the future with courage and hope. It is always there when we need it and it truly never fails.

I borrowed the title of this essay from a wonderful prayer written by Saint Francis of Assisi. Saint Francis, the son of a rich merchant, felt lost most of his life until he had a vision of what his life purpose should be. The vision changed his life forever and from that moment forward he abstained from all falsehood and any thoughts of harming others. Instead, he focused his thoughts only on the power of love and how he could use that power to make the world a better place.

The words of Saint Francis were written during the thirteenth century but they are as relevant today as they were then. As you read these powerful words, consider how our lives, our country and our planet could benefit if each of us chose to live our lives in just this way.

Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy.

O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled as to console,
To be understood as to understand,
To be loved as to love;
For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
It is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
                        — Saint Francis Of Assisi

Let us sow love where once there was hate. Let us see our brothers and sisters in the eyes of every human being. Let us embrace tolerance and understanding. Let the night be over and the day begin.

Some Things To Consider

Get out a sheet of paper and list the times in your life when you used hate and anger to solve a problem. Now, on the same sheet of paper, make another list of when you used love to rectify a situation. Which list is longer? What were the differences in the outcome? How did you feel inside after it was over? Which solution—love or hate—was more long lasting? All Rights Reserved © 2002 By Jeffrey Alan Hall