“And the youth said, Speak to us of Friendship. And he answered saying: your friend is your needs answered. …a field which you sow with love and reap with thanksgiving.”
From The Prophet, by Kahlil Gibran
In his classic work, The Prophet, Kahlil Gibran captured the ideals of personal friendship as only he could. This year at Unity South, we will celebrate our annual Friendship Sunday on September 19.
Our intention for this annual celebration is to celebrate a dimension of friendship in which we go beyond a one-to-one relationship, to a universal concept of connections. In a larger sense, we view friendship as a way of being human.
In recent years, we have become familiar with the phrase, weapons of mass destruction. In Unity, we believe that friendship is an energy system that is not fully tapped — and when it is fully tapped, it is capable of transforming our world. Instead of unleashing weapons of mass destruction, we can unleash friendship as energy of mass transformation.
The truth is that we will never be able to create peace with force of might.
Peace will come when we recognize our interdependence and act in ways that engender friendship among all people regardless of culture, religion or spiritual tradition.
What’s in a name?
I have always been fascinated with how organizations such as UNITY and the Religious Society of Friends (a.k.a., Quakers) came about their names. These names are more than labels. Indeed, they clearly express core values and deep desires that humankind can engage with one another at a higher energy of supportive relationship and friendship. We honor individual’s right to choose and the freedom to evolve spiritually without hindrance or violence.
The co-founder of Unity is said to have received the name UNITY in a flash of insight after prayerful meditation. UNITY expresses a unifying philosophy of religion. The Quakers official name, The Religious Society of Friends, affirms the path of friendship as an efficient path for society and for all life to thrive.
To me, ‘Unity’ and ‘Religious Society of Friends’ are among the most beautiful names I know for a movement or organization. I believe that they are divinely inspired.
Please, join us on Sunday, September 19, as we celebrate the gift of friendship together!
Blessings,