Because poetry conveys in a way that prose cannot, I’ll answer the questions with poems (or one quote from a previous professor), followed by some of my own words.
1/ What initially drew you to interfaith work?
Come, come, whoever you are.
Wanderer, worshiper, lover of leaving.
It doesn’t matter
Ours is not a caravan of despair.
Come, even if you have broken your vows a thousand times.
Come, yet again, come, come.
― Jelaluddin Rumi
I don’t have to tell you that we live in especially polarized times: there are loud cries to stand for something and against something else, as if justice calls for taking sides. Interfaith work elevates our conversations by providing a more nuanced, integrative, “both, and” stance: for example, we are both for the flourishing of this community and for the flourishing of that community—for the flourishing of all peoples regardless of religion, nationality, color, race, gender. We endeavor to find ways to call people in and only call people out as a last resort. Interfaith work provides the reminder, that even with our differences, we are still one human family, no one more or less valuable than another. The idea of offering a big tent for the caravan of humanity to gather under and dialogue with dignity is what has always drawn me to interfaith work.
2/ What are you most excited to start working on as the new director?
Out
Of a great need
We are all holding hands
And climbing.
Not loving is a letting go.
Listen,
The terrain around here
Is
Far too
Dangerous
For
That.
Hafez (Daniel Ladinsky)
As a city, as a nation, as a planet, we are living in an epoch of heightened uncertainty, of great need. I’m most excited about going out and meeting faith leaders and lay people, building relationships and trust. I’m excited to imagine IFC convening conversations that allow them to share what is in their hearts and on their minds, to partner together to address real problems, and even to have fun together. I am most excited to provide opportunities for people to feel and know that we, as a collective, have one another’s backs, that we will hold hands and not let go. No one need ever feel alone with a problem, unsafe, or unwelcome. It is together that we dance this sacred dance of life, all the while knowing that we are deserving of joy.
I sometimes forget
that I was created for Joy.
My mind is too busy.
My heart is too heavy
for me to remember
that I have been
Called to dance
the sacred dance of life.
I was created to smile.
To Love.
To be lifted up
and to lift up others.
O’ Sacred One
untangle my feet
from all that ensnares.
Free my soul
that we might
Dance
and that our dancing
might be contagious.
Hafez (Daniel Ladinsky)
3/ What are some goals you have for IFC in the coming year?
Critics say that America is a lie because its reality falls so far short of its ideals. They are wrong. America is not a lie; it is a disappointment. But it can be a disappointment only because it is also a hope.—Samuel Huntington
Many are increasingly disillusioned with religion, seeing it as a divisive force and a source of suffering. But the disenchantment actually reflects the profound hunger we have for meaning, healing, belonging, and inspiration that religions can also provide. The “interfaith enterprise” draws out some of what’s best in our religions—the recognition of our common humanity gloriously expressed in a myriad of ways, like the rainbow of colors that appear when light is shone through a single prism.
The initial goals I have for the IFC include supporting Symi and the Board in expanding our programs, enhancing our visibility and relevance so that we can become a unifying resource to the people of our nation’s capital and the metropolitan communities at this pivotal juncture—a Lighthouse calling people safely to shore when the fog of fear and darkness of misinformation threatens to overtake. I would also like to see us get on even sounder financial footing so that we can offer more, give more, celebrate more.
I want to bring in youthful voices and reach out to even greater numbers of faith communities, some of which are underrepresented. I’d also like to invite members of our First Nations or Native American communities into the IFC community. Their spiritual traditions are profound, and I never forget that we are but guests on these precious lands.
When you are inspired by some great purpose, some extraordinary project, all your thoughts break their bonds: Your mind transcends limitations, your consciousness expands in every direction, and you find yourself in a new, great and wonderful world. Dormant forces, faculties and talents become alive, and you discover yourself to be a greater person by far than you ever dreamed yourself to be.” ― Patanjali
4/ What’s your favorite interfaith memory?
If you have friends who know your heart,
Distance cannot keep you apart.
― Wang Bo (王勃)
I have many favorite interfaith moments, but I’ll share one that happened fairly recently at the Parliament of World Religions that took place in Chicago this past August. I was one of 25 faith leaders who was honored to be invited to ceremonially sign the Global Ethics document during the Global Ethic General Assembly. Another of the signatories was Jianbao Wang, part of a small delegation and the only one coming from Mainland China.
We had an opportunity to speak together and found much common ground as a Zoroastrian and a Confucian, two of the world’s most ancient wisdom traditions. The next day, I was one of the keynote speakers in front of an assembly of over 6,500 people. As I was waiting to get on stage with the handful of other speakers and video techs in a large area behind the curtains, I saw Jianbao come in backstage with several people, one clearly a monk and seat themselves at a big table. Jianbao wanted to speak with me but I asked if he could wait till after my talk. I did not know they were all waiting for me.
After I finally got called on stage and returned, they stood and approached and Jianbao introduced me to the delegation including the Abbot of one of the oldest Shaolin Temples in China. The Venerable Abbot presented me with his book and a beautifully decorated plate in a red and golden case as a gift, and his assistant snapped photos. I felt moved and humbled, not just by the generosity of their gifts but by the humility and patience with which they had waited for me. I was struck by how little we truly understand about China beyond the political rhetoric and how ancient (and in some ways refined) their civilization is as compared to ours.
I am eager to learn more about Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism. Happy Lunar New Year of the Dragon!
Raise your words
not your voice.
It is rain that
grows flowers,
not thunder.
― Jelaluddin Rumi