Judge a man, not by the colour of his face
Judge a man, not by the name of his race
Judge a man, not by the nature of his creed
But judge a man, by the measure of his deeds
For there are many good Arabs and many good Muslims
Many a poor Christian and many a poor Jew
But the scale of their righteousness has nothing to do
With the fact, that they might be Russian, Chinese, Buddhist or Hindu
And yet, why does race and religion so separate
When all the holy books quite clearly state
That we should live together in peace and accord
Doing to each other in agreement with his Lord
In Islam too, it might surprise you to hear
That the self-same belief is considered just as dear (and I quote)
"No one of you is a believer until he desires for his brother that which he desires for himself. "
So it seems that everything’s right and yet everything’s wrong.
For we’re at war with one another instead of getting along.
Since time immemorial we’ve proved that fear and military might are not the answer
Because all they cause is an untreatable cancer.
Our lack of understanding, causes great fear
And when someone seems different we tend to sneer.
We treat them with suspicion and dread and derision.
Mocking their customs, their clothes and traditions.
For it is the unknown which causes so much fear
Even this beautiful place, Dallas Nature Center where we are……right here.
This self-same place, when shrouded in darkness, could become a place of fear
To those who are afraid of the unknown
But when a flashlight is used to illuminate the road
We feel much relief and confidence is restored
And so it is with people….. whose strange behaviours and customs at first appear
To be totally at odds with our own ideas
Only through understanding can we hope to succeed
Learning all we can about our brother’s needs.
We must try to respect and honour each other
Celebrate the difference, the uniqueness, the richness of our brother.
The surest of ways to bring about a transformation
Is with the most precious gift we’ve been given …….creation
Our children, carry the hopes of this world with their uncluttered minds.
Through them can we truly change it into one of pure cosmic design.
Children are born pure and without any hate
They have to be taught this most despicable trait
Our children are given to us essentially colour blind
They see each other equal and tolerant in mind
Children are such beautifully simple creatures
Seeing everything in a world of vivid "black & white"
No mask to hide behind, no pretence to fool you with
Just a bright, shining, beacon of light.
Let’s start teaching every one of these precious, shining lights
That diversity in this great land is something to be cherished
and honoured just like the bill of rights.
Like a garden of beautiful flowers, we are all of the same genus
but each unique and beautifully different.
Each adding our individual essence and colour.
Each benefiting the other in a symbiotic relationship.
So, let everyone of us desire first for his brother, that which he desires for himself
And in so doing, we’ll create a world of the greatest riches and unsurpassed wealth.
- Gordon Nicol, November 2001
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