CENTER FOR PLURALISM
http://www.CenterforPluralism.com
We define Pluralism as “Respecting the otherness of the other.”
The reason for conflicts between you and me, your culture and mine, your faith and mine, blacks and whites, Republicans and Democrats, your food and mine is because we don’t know each other. What we know about each other are myths created by our parents, teachers, pastors, friends and of course Television. Instead of finding the truth, we keep pounding them on our memories and it reflects in our responses and I pray that these myths do not become a part of our DNA. Truth brings clarity and freedom.
You are who you are, and I am who I am with our own thumbprints, eye prints, taste buds, religion buds, political leanings and of course, DNA. We should resist the temptations to deflate, discount or annihilate the other, that temptation is an expression of our inability to deal with the differences. We are better than that, we are capable of handling differences and our focus should be how to co-exist in peace and harmony. Animals are bestowed with horns, fangs, and paws to fight out their conflicts, humans are blessed with the ability to dialogue and not be at each other’s throats.
Recognizing the human need to be happy, which comes through conflictlessness, we are set out to build a cohesive America, where no American has to live in anxiety, discomfort or fear of the other.
Our programs are designed to bring Americans Together. The center is driven by the fact that the more often people see each other in social, cultural, civic, religious, political and other settings, the stronger the medicine would be against divisiveness, resulting in fewer misunderstandings and misperceptions between fellow Americans.
The Center is committed to reassuring each other, including the disconnected ones among the White Americans, that together as Americans, we are committed to safeguarding the American way of life. No American needs to worry about losing his or her way of life. As Americans, we uphold, protect, defend and celebrate the values enshrined in our Constitution.
We will continue to bring non-stop actions in practicing pluralism in religion, politics, society, and culture and be a catalyst for a safe and a secure America for each one of us.
The Center for Pluralism is committed to building a cohesive America where no American feels excluded. If we can learn to respect the otherness of other and accept the God-given uniqueness of each one of us then conflicts fade and solutions emerge. Our vision is to see each one of us live securely in the pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness
We bring Americans Together in social, religious, cultural, political, civic and other settings. The more we know each other, the fewer the misperceptions would be. At CFP we have programs inplace to achieve this mission.
SHAPING AMERICA’S FUTURE
We are committed to a cohesive America.
Ten years from now, you will not find a place of work, worship, playground, school, restaurant, theater and other places of public gatherings where you will not find people of different faiths, races, and ethnicities interacting, working, studying, intermingling, playing and marrying together. This is bound to create conflicts.
A vast majority of us have heard things about others from our friends, news, social media or our own knowledge of others and we instantly form opinions about others. As responsible individuals, we must strive to strip stereotyping and build pathways to ensure smooth functioning of our society, whether it is the workplace or our neighborhoods.
We need to reassure each other, particularly the disconnected ones, that together as Americans, we are committed to safeguarding the American way of life. No American needs to worry about losing his or her way of life. Together as Americans, we uphold, protect, defend and celebrate the values enshrined in our Constitution; an insurer of our way of life.
CFP will continue to bring non-stop actions in practicing pluralism in religion, politics, society, and culture and be a catalyst for a safe and a secure America for each one of us as we move through this transition.
As we learn to respect the otherness of others and accept the God-given uniqueness of each one of us, then conflicts fade and solutions emerge.
Our vision is to see each one of us live securely in the pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness.
CFP’S PROGRAMS
We do research, conduct seminars and organize symposiums and workshops on burning topics of the day that affect Americans. We are all about Research, action, and leadership. Please visit the tabs at www.CenterforPluralism.com
I. RELIGIOUS PLURALISM
- Understanding the Essence of Religions, all the beautiful religions
- Wisdom of Spiritual Masters— A talk series
- Festival of Faiths—Celebrating all faiths, an annual events
II. POLITICAL PLURALISM
- Adhoc Seminars with Republicans and Democrats
- Issue-based Seminars
III. CULTURAL PLURALISM
- Thanksgiving Celebrations & Awards Night—20 years
- July 4th—Annual Event
- Gender Pluralism—Seminars
IV. SOCIAL PLURALISM
- Unity Day USA—14th Annual Event
- Holocaust and Genocides – 13th Annual Event
- Memorial Day commemoration—Annual Event
- Veteran’s day—Annual Event
PLURALISM NEWS
- News items of Pluralism—www.PluralismNews.com
- Essence of Festivals—write-ups on major festivals
STANDING UP FOR OTHERS
- www.StandingupforOthers.com
- Human Rights Activism and religious freedom
Understanding the
ESSENCE OF RELIGION
Atheism to Zoroastrianism and every tradition in between
13 faiths| 13 workshops | 13 months
When we live as neighbors, fellow workers, students, players, activists and inhabitants of the same city, it behooves us to learn about each other’s beliefs, motivations, moments of celebrations, devotions or commemorations. The more we know about the other, the less
mythical they would become creating a friendly environment for all of us to function effectively in whatever we do. Knowledge leads to understanding and understanding to acceptance of the otherness of others leading us into tension free and sustainable prosperity.
Please visit our website and participate as a volunteer, sponsor or a donor. We are a Washington based non-profit 501 (c) (3) organization.
Please donate generously to carry forwards these programs. You can also become a sponsor of one of the programs listed above or special seminars that you feel would help Americans come together.
Please donate: http://centerforpluralism.com/donate/
MORE DETAILS
The Center for Pluralism
We are pleased to submit the summary of what we do, also included in the summary below is the Muslim Segment of the Center.
Our mission is to build a cohesive America where no American has to live in apprehension, tension or fear of fellow American. Our programs are designed to bring Americans Together.
The center is driven by the fact that the more often people see each other in social, cultural, civic, religious, political and other settings, the stronger the medicine would be against divisiveness, resulting in fewer misunderstandings and misperceptions between fellow Americans. We have programs to bring Americans together, Attached brochure gives the details – http://centerforpluralism.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/4.-CPF-Programs-4-Pages.pdf
WE ARE DOERS:
Please visit our website www.CenterforPluralism.com and browse through nearly 20 programs designed to bring Americans together. We are an organization of activism, and through our actions on the ground, research, publications, Seminars, workshops, TV and Radio appearances we bring results to the community and create a sense of security for every American.
We have defined Pluralism as ‘respecting the otherness of others.’
We are committed to forging a secure environment for all Americans, ultimately the safety of each one of us hinges on the safety of people around us.
PLURALISM AWARDS
The 20th Annual Pluralism Awards, the awards are designed to encourage individuals who respect the otherness of the other, and stand up for the rights of other – Last year’s video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6H9V0h7Jr_M&t=399s
FESTIVAL OF FAITHS
The 2nd Annual festival of faiths will be held on Sunday, December 18, 2017 where we celebrate all religions from Atheism to Zoroastrianism and everyone in between. If we want to develop a sense of oneness with the other with our given uniqueness, we have to witness each other’s celebrations. Last year’s event: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vAwvoqz01I
HOLOCAUST AND GENOCIDES
The 13th annual reflections on Holocaust and Genocides. The purpose of the event is education, we have to learn to acknowledge and reflect upon the terrible things we have inflicted upon each other. We have to commit to ourselves to resist the temptations to stereotyping others. We cannot demand peace unless we are peaceful ourselves. Our main anchor event will remain Holocaust and we will be highlighting the plight of Rohingya people and what we can do to prevent evil occurrences.
Invitations are in process to invite the decision makers at the Department of State, Department of Justice and the United Nations. Details at – www.HolocaustandGenocides.com
UNITY DAY USA
The 14th annual Unity Day USA will be held on September 11, 2018.The idea for Unity Day USA was first conceived on Tuesday, September 11, 2001, and took its current form on Sunday, September 11, 2005. It is an initiative for Americans to come together to stand up for the safety, security, and cohesiveness of America.
On this Unity Day, we the people of the United States of America of every faith, race, ethnicity, culture, and background will gather to express our commitment to co-existence, unity, prosperity and well being of our nation.
Pictures and stories at www.UnityDayUSA.com
THANKSGIVING CELEBRATIONS
The 20th Annual event will be held in November 2018. The purpose of celebrating this event is to thank the creator for helping us learn; to give thanks for the blessed life we all enjoy in these United States of America; to celebrate the diversity of creation; to enjoy the cultural heritage of each ethnic group that makes America; to appreciate and recognize outstanding volunteers in each community; to gather together as Immigrant Americans with born Americans; to bring the new immigrants into our fold and to accept, respect and appreciate each other’s uniqueness. www.ThanksgivingCelebrations.org
UNDERSTANDING RELIGIONS
When we live as neighbors, fellow workers, students, players, activists and inhabitants of the same city, it behooves us to learn about each other’s beliefs, motivations, moments of celebrations, devotions or commemorations. The more we know about the other, the less mythical they would become creating a friendly environment for all of us to function effectively in whatever we do. Knowledge leads to understanding and understanding to acceptance of the otherness of others leading us into tension free and sustainable prosperity. We will resume workshops on “Understanding Religions, all the beautiful religions” – in 2018. http://centerforpluralism.com/workshops/
MY DREAM
All good things in society happen with some one’s dream and execution of the same. Here is my dream which is becoming a reality, that one day we will wake up to an America, where no American lives in apprehension, discomfort or fear of the other. It would be a prophetic realization of the vision of our founding fathers, “That all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.” And that dream was refreshed by Martin Luther King, Jr. Please join us in achieving that dream for each one of us.
A COMPREHENSIVE PROFILE OF THE FOUNDER:
Mike Ghouse building cohesive societies: http://centerforpluralism.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/3.-MikeGhouse-Building-Cohesive-Societies-68-Pages.pdf
Please visit the homepage www.CenterforPluralism.com for more details or browse through different tabs on our website.
Your donation is appreciated – Americans Together is same as Center for Pluralism
http://centerforpluralism.com/donate/