The Light of Unity

"The human family members have harbored so many heart-wrenching tragedies toward their brothers and sisters throughout the ages. Countless lives of innocent human beings of every race, religion, nationality and creed have been lost during these tragedies. The power of our diversity has been sapped by misunderstandings, prejudices, and suspicions. The adolescent era of humanity has been very painful and costly. For thousands of years, we have been killing each other and justifying our selfish conduct in the name of God, race, religion, nationality... even in the name of freedom. Our ego has blocked our light. We have been conditioned to live in darkness. This darkness has led to an endless cycle of personal, local, and global disunity. Now more than ever, we, the people of the world, need a unifying vision to bind us together to end this era of disunity. I envision a United Nations proclamation declaring September 11th to be World Unity Day, to kindle the Light of Unity in the heart of all humanity. It will acknowledge the past with forgiveness and celebrate a new beginning with universal acceptance, association, and appreciation toward an era of oneness in diversity. The foundation upon which we build world unity must be based on the principle of oneness-that we are all children of one God, expressions of one spirit, members of one race and citizens of one country, and the roots of our oneness are celebrated in the beauty and power of our diversity.Let's not wait for another tragedy that brings us together temporarily. Let's pass a law and make September 11th a Unity Day. We need a day to remind each other about our common humanity, universal democratic principles, needs, and critical problems.We need a day without violence, division, conflict, or partisanship. We need a day of universal forgiveness and transcendence. We need a day where we can identify the critical problems facing America, and create a plan to cooperatively solve these critical problems. We need a day of association, appreciation, and celebration. Then the one day of unity may become two days of unity and two days of unity may become three days of unity. With this simple act of awakening, we may be able to gradually change the world towards more civility, humility, amiability, and unity. The idea of a Unity Day is simple yet profound. The main mission of a Unity Day is to focus the nation attention on unity, peace, and prosperity within. No nation can be a moral force for universal peace and prosperity if it is divided within. A World Unity Day on September 11th each year similarly might help to focus the world's attention on the need for international understanding and cooperation toward a more peaceful tomorrow. No doubt the effort will begin in America but eventually it could grow to involve other countries around the world. This is idea whose time has come." DR. HOOSHMAND M. KALAYEH