We returned last week from a two-week Mediterranean cruise from Rome to Istanbul. It fulfilled a lifelong dream of mine to see the ruins of ancient Italy and Greece. We walked on cobblestones where Julius Caesar walked and in the Forum where Paul preached to the Corinthians. It made me realize how amazing the ancient world really was.

As modern people we rely heavily on our technology, but the Colosseum in Rome was built in eight years, and the Parthenon was built in ten, with none of our modern equipment. Yes, there were an unlimited number of slaves, but the massive columns and stone pediments were moved without modern engines or machinery. It is truly a marvel.

As I walked the streets of the Roman Forum, Pompeii, Corinth, the Acropolis, and other ancient and medieval sites, I was so aware of history. Ancient peoples were intelligent and sophisticated. I felt dwarfed by the magnificence of these sites, while feeling a deep connection with those ancient people who lived their lives eerily similarly to the way I live mine. There were street cafes, public gathering spaces, temples, baths, and toilets. Homes were decorated with beautiful sculptures and frescoes. There were altars and temples to their gods and goddesses.

Human history is filled with war, slavery, and horrific atrocities. It is also filled with ordinary people who live their lives as best they can. People want to have their basic survival needs met; they want to love and be loved and to raise their children in peace; they long for a spiritual connection; and they long for peace and freedom to not just survive, but to thrive.

As I walked those ancient cobblestones, I realized on an even deeper level that we are all connected. We are all the same. In many ways those earlier people had a better grasp on the spiritual world than we do. They may not have understood scientific theory, but they understood that there is something greater than humanity. They understood the absolute necessity for connection with the gods (the ultimate Source). As we toured the magnificent ruins of temples, St. Peter’s Basilica, Byzantine churches, and Muslim mosques it was clear to me that the longing for Source is part and parcel of what it is to be human. We all long for a connection with that which is greater than ourselves. Although we call It by different names, we are looking for the same thing.

I came back convinced that if we could open to the spirit within, to the longing for the unnamed – if we could leave dogma and theology behind – we could actually come together in love and peace. For we are all the same, creations of the ONE, our purpose to love.

Barbara Garland
November 2023