Walking the talk...

It’s the other part of my life – that of a volunteer. Without planning it that way, I now devote over ¼ of my time or more to organizations on whose boards I sit or for which I hold a leadership role. As most of you who volunteer know, it is an expensive indulgence – it costs time and money, to be sure. But it also is not without its politics and pressures. There is nothing that says that human behavior becomes more altruistic when the enterprise is without compensation.

For me, though, it is one of the real benefits of being self employed. To be able to choose how and where I spend my time is the true luxury – and to be able to do so to advocate for and to help implement social change is the real benefit. It would be wonderful to be independently wealthy so that I could do this full time and fund these activities to the level I feel they deserve, but simply to be in the position to play these leadership roles provides true gratification.

One area to which I now devote myself is Interreligous understanding and amity. The geopolitical reasons justifying these commitments needn’t be reiterated here. They certainly play a part in why I do this.

The deeper reason is less political and more reflective of why I do this. For me, to be succinct about a fairly complex matter, I find “meaning” in my own Jewish Tradition but I only have “understanding” in relation to the other. Thus, this role in Interreligous activity on the international level becomes a mandate and not an option. My own understandings, my growth as a human being and as a religious person are deeply tied to the juxtaposition with and the connection to other Traditions. And this has proven true with both of the other Abrahamic religions [Christianity and Islam], and more recently and with more amazement, Eastern ones [Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism.]

When I attend meetings in various places around the world, most of my colleagues in the various religious communities are “professional”. That is to say, they may be Dharma Masters, Swamis, Imams, Patriarchs, Cardinals, and even a Dalai Lama – all of whom work for organizations, churches, or other entities which pay their salaries. Just because they are “professional” though in no way diminishes their profound commitments and, alas, in too many cases, their risks in doing this Interreligous enterprise. In fact, I sit astounded at the depth of knowledge, relationships, and commitments which so many bring to the tables of our discussions. I participate strictly as a volunteer coming from the United States – my only risk is that most international meetings cost me money – or keep me from earning some.

Yet this past week, at a meeting in Seville, two of my counterpart colleagues, one representing the Greek Orthodox Church, and anther representing the Vatican, independently made the same observation. When they found out that my non-volunteer/professional time is devoted to philanthropy [teaching, advising, lecturing] and that my participation in our many meetings together is as a volunteer, they said almost the identical phrase. “Obviously, you practice what you preach.”

I never thought about it that way. I have viewed these recent leadership roles as a rare privilege, one which rewards me much more than I can ever give back. I sit among these spiritual and adjudicatory colleagues, I as an elected leader surrounded by true leaders of people and communities often numbering in the millions. It is they who are practicing what I consider the true meaning of philanthropy. I may be a volunteer, but they are such lovers of humanity, the literal meaning of the word philanthropist, that they choose to extend that love beyond their own daily demands to make the world a better place for all. To my mind, it is they who truly walk the talk.