NOTE: This isn't a "polished" blog post because I wrote it late at night after seeing this story. Please pardon the ramblings, but I think you'll get my point. 
If you haven't heard yet, check out this Nightline story about a small Christian church congregation in Florida whose pastor plans to have an International Burn a Koran Day on 9/11. I was moved to tears after seeing this.
I tend to remain neutral in my discussions about religion because I don't want to alienate anyone. This story really made me want to say something. I've been lucky, I guess you could say, to have been a part of mainstream religion most of my life. By mainstream, I, of course, mean Christian. I haven't faced the public persecution that others have, largely because I have kept my beliefs private. There were times in my life when I wasn't so mainstream. I participated in Wiccan practices. It wasn't something that I shared with too many people because their first response was, "You're a witch?!". This tends to conjure up Halloween-ish images of cauldrons and wands. Now, my beliefs are a combination of several things with Christian, Eastern, and pagan influences, although I wouldn't classify myself as a part of any particular religion.
I can remember having a conversation with someone about the whole "Happy Holidays" versus "Merry Christmas" thing. You know, when it's November or December and you go to the mall and an associate says "Happy Holidays" because they don't want to offend anyone that might not celebrate Christmas. Or, you get someone saying "Merry Christmas" because they assume everyone celebrates it. The person I was speaking with had the nerve to say that they were tired of hearing "Happy Holidays" and complained that it's time for Christians to have more rights.
Are you serious? If any religion has had all of the "rights", it has been Christianity. That tends to be the default religion and some Christians assume that everyone else has the same beliefs. This brings me back to the Burn a Koran day. It is pretty ballsy for a pastor to arrange something like this when I'm sure he would take issue if people from another religion started burning the Bible. He feels that he has the right to do this because he is part of the "right" religion (as in 'correct', not 'right wing'). After hearing this story, I found myself saying, "What the heck is wrong with some Christians?"
This reminds me of 9/11 when many people were fearful of anyone with Islamic heritage. There are so many times that we judge an entire race, religion, or other type of group based on the behavior of a minority from that group. I understand that 9/11 was a scary experience even for those that didn't know anyone who perished during the tragedy. However, it doesn't make sense to hate an entire group of people because of it. As an African-American, I have dealt with this on a much smaller scale. Yes, it's 2010, but I'm still cautious about the way I behave in stores for fear of someone thinking I'm trying to steal something. And again, we go back to the pastor in Florida. How many Christians would want others to think that they believe the same thing this pastor believes?
My husband and I love Persian food. I remember the week after 9/11, we noticed that a few of our favorite Persian restaurants in Denver had significantly fewer patrons than prior to that day. We decided to show a small gesture of support by dining out at some of those restaurants. I don't remember being scared or thinking that anything bad would happen. We're not heroes, by any means, but it was important for us to do that.
So, the title of this blog post, "What's wrong with burning the Koran?" is a philosophical one. I don't think anyone has the right to destroy someone else's holy book. As an author, I think about people that have burned others' non-holy books because they didn't believe what they said. I do think that we need to look deeper and discover what would drive us to participate in something like this. What are we afraid of? What are we trying to stop from happening? Or, what are we hoping to accomplish?
Although it sounds corny and is overused, I keep going back to Rodney King's statement of "...can we all get along?".
Your thoughts?
I'm back from a nice, long 10-day vacation with family in Denver. It was somewhat of a working vacation, but not as much as in past years. For those of you that have read my book, you'll know about Success Drivers and how important they are to establishing goals (also known as Rest Stops). My Success Drivers happen to be Money and Time. I've managed to take my own advice with my profession and found ways to have more time while making some money.
Also, since we "roadtripped it", I had a lot of wonderful insights related to Spirit Driving. I'll be sharing those in upcoming posts.
Lastly, since I am planning for my paperback book launch of Driving to Success: Let Your Spirit Take the Wheel on October 21st, I will be sharing excerpts from the book as video blogs. I'll read a passage and provide more details on what it means to you and how you can use it to improve your professional life. The videos will be posted here and on my Spirit Driving YouTube channel (pretty sparse now, but that will change). The first video will be posted by Monday Friday whenever I can get to it. I'm having too much fun with other things in life and business!
Onward & Upward and Love & Light!
Leila
Want to win a free copy of the e-book edition of Driving to Success? Today, June 15, 2010, you have a chance to win by participating in the Tuesday Tweet to Win event. Here's what you have to do to qualify:
- Follow me on Twitter: @spiritdriving
- Retweet the following: RT I want to win the @spiritdriving e-book Driving to Success http://ht.ly/1Yzhy #drivingtosuccess
- Reply to me via Twitter with your answer to this question: What celebrity or other influential person best exemplifies the Spirit Driving concept? Make sure your tweet includes @spiritdriving and #drivingtosuccess.
Aren't sure what the Spirit Driving concept is? Here's a quick hit list:
- You're authentic to who you are instead of living someone else's dream.
- You keep an eye on your GPS and enjoy the journey on the road of your professional life.
- You understand that Money is just one of your possible Success Drivers.
- You believe that you have a Destination (Mission) to reach through your professional life.
- You regularly Turn on Your Signals to recognize your role in the Universe.
- You shift Gears, when appropriate, based on the Signs you receive from the Universe.
- You aren't afraid of making occasional U-Turns.
I'll select the best or most unique response as the winner after 5p MDT today.
Good luck!
Leila
We've added a special page for online and traditional media to access more details about Spirit Driving Institute and my recently published book, Driving to Success.
Click here to view our Press Room where you can access:
- Our Social Media Sites
- Video
- Interviews & Features
- Ideal Speaking Engagement / Interview Audiences
- Document Downloads (including e-book preview)
- Book and Author Images
And we're live! Read a sample chapter and purchase Driving to Success: Let Your Spirit Take the Wheel.
Don't forget to signup for your free bonus gifts and for the Webinar this evening.
Keep an eye on the blog for interviews from some of the Spirit Driving Institute book launch partners and other activities throughout the day.
Happy Cinco de Mayo!
I can't believe that there are only 15 more days until my book is released. Since I've been writing it off and on for the past 10 years, it almost seems surreal to be at this point.
Check the Spirit Driving Institute site for details about the e-book launch of Driving to Success: Let Your Spirit Take the Wheel on May 20th. I've included details on the special offers from me and my partners if you purchase on that day. Also, you'll be able to take a look at the soon-to-be-launched Spirit Driving Network membership site.
I have so many great things planned - for May 20th and beyond. Hope that you'll come along for the ride and Let your Spirit Take a Spin in 2010!
I had a wonderful time talking with Monique Hunt (Dr. Nique), founder of Ladypreneur International last week. She was gracious enough to do a profile about me and my book, Driving to Success: Let Your Spirit Take the Wheel.
In my Next Top Spiritual Author book pitch, I mention a colleague who said that my book concept could take off like the Chicken Soup for the Soul series. Dr. Nique is that colleague. She and I talked for a little over an hour. It went so quickly since the discussion was lively, on point, and in Spirit.
I encourage my readers to check out the Ladypreneur International Web site. You can join the site for free and network with other like-minded female entrepreneurs.
NOTE: I am not being compensated for this. I just support Dr. Nique's mission and her passion for bringing spiritually-conscious, female entrepreneurs together.
Since I'm close to finishing my manuscript, I've decided to start the search for a book designer for Driving to Success: Let Your Spirit Take the Wheel. I've received referrals from other authors and have performed my own research. So far the response is good. I'm always impressed by those who have an artistic flair.
Once I have a close-to-final concept, I'll use the cover and a sample chapter to continue drumming up interest in carrying my book.
If you are a cover or interior designer who is interested in submitting a quote, feel free to contact me.
Also, if any other authors have suggestions for a stellar cover or interior designer, you can post them in the comments.
We just launched our new Spirit Driving Institute Web site. You'll find information on upcoming books and joining or facilitating a coaching group. You'll be able to register online for our upcoming introductory and series Webinars on Driving to Success: Let Your Spirit Take the Wheel. Plus, we've added this blog and recent articles related to spirituality in your professional life.
In the coming months, we plan to expand the Web site to build more of a community around the Spirit Driving concept. Stay tuned.