Ramadan Mubarak

Peace be upon you, brothers and sisters of the jungle we call life. A jungle which sprawls before us. Some grasp ancient maps - Judaism, Christianity, Islam - paths etched by prophets, promising paradise if you obey. Others trust in what the universe has provided for us - eyes to see, feet to walk, a mind to think, and a heart to feel.

From the ashes of the Holocaust, humanity cried: never again. Not because the Jews were saints — none are — but because blind obedience turned men into machines, grinding lives into dust. Nazis named them “rats,” “vermin” — words that stripped sentience, words that killed. And now, in our time, the words and actions of the people who wield power in Israel's name mirror these actions. Over 40,000 Palestinians have been murdered since Oct 2023. Dehumanization is the old poison, poured anew.

I never fell for this because a rat is not a pest, a cow not a slab, a human not an enemy to crush. The divine lies not in blind obedience, in belonging to some group or faith but in the awakened mind which sees all beings as equals and in the compassionate heart which treats all beings as equals. The ancient maps affirm this: Pikuach Nefesh bids us break any law to save a life; Al-Ma’idah proclaims that to save one is to save all humanity — sentience is our guide.

May all beings everywhere be happy and free, and may the thoughts, words, and actions of your life contribute in some way to that happiness and to that freedom for all.