Labels are a difficult thing. Once we label something - in short, judging it - analysis tends to end. The mind closes to additional or different information. Wisdom requires the opposite; to grow, knowledge must be ever-expanding. All spiritual belief systems hold some value: a focus on nature; an emphasis on peace or compassion; a practical method of applying a moral concept. To label an entire religion, ethnicity, or society as "good" or "evil" is unfair to millions of living human beings, and billions throughout history. Worse, it can lead (and has led) to prejudice, closed minds, even genocide.

Is every Idaho Christian an Aryan racist? Every African a good athlete? Every Mexican here illegally? Every Muslim a terrorist? Of course not.There is a beautiful and very useful Buddhist practice called the morning walk. To try, take a 30-minute walk at a relaxed pace anywhere at all. While you do so, notice every little thing, in your mind saying the word - "grass," "sidewalk," "man," "ant." Consciously remove any adjective from thought; no "green," "dirty," "old," or "painful" (associated with an ant bite). Too often one adjective subconsciously leads to another, or closes the mind to different associations.

The exercise translates throughout the day into a conscious removal of other judgments, especially when it becomes habit. It allows a person to (a) become conscious of added judgments and (b) stay open to additional information which may affect them. Beginning each day with a simple walk in general clears the head and improves circulation; both aid clear thought. Individuals are not religion, nor are they defined solely by any one societal factor. Sadly, history is replete with examples of people who use religion for purposes of power or influence. Other followers feel betrayed by this, as they neither share the connection of faith with particular act nor believe they should be so connected.

The building of a mosque at ground zero is a test of American commitment to the idea of separating more than a billion people worldwide (five million in the U.S.) from the radical interpretations and misuse of their religion by terrorists. It's vital to remove associative and judgmental labels from so many individuals and recognize they are normal people who work, raise their children, and love just like the rest of humanity. In this country, it might also prove to ourselves we believe in freedom of religion, not freedom to share the same religion.As an example of how a label bars knowledge, the much-maligned "jihad" in Islam simply means struggle. Defined within the Qu'uran it refers to the daily internal struggles against basic sin, selfishness, unkindness, and such. I have my own jihads, as do we all battling whatever the negative tendencies comprise our individual personalities. The self-proclaimed jihadists who commit violent acts, in the opinion of Muslim clerics and followers worldwide, twist the meaning and adhere to an extremist interpretation of the religion. Just as most Christians feel about the Aryan Nations, the inquisition, and so on.

"Islam" derives from "salema," which means peace. Those who commit non-peaceful acts using any religion as a justification do so for political, not spiritual, purposes. Religion misused is a powerful tool to accomplish strategic goals with gullible masses, as many of history's conquerors have exemplified.

I hope Americans against the idea can reconsider the value in having a mosque near the site of that tragic day in 2001. It can be seen as a statement of hope - a hope that human beings can find true compassion for one another; that "different" is not "bad." That American minds remain as open as the First Amendment portrays us. Sholeh Patrick is an attorney and a columnist for the Hagadone News Network who lived in Iran for eight years. Contact her at sholehjo@hotmail.com.

Sholeh

Patrick