Atlanta, Georgia (First Existentialist Congregation of Atlanta)

Reflection written by Karen L. Esterl, board member at First Existentialist Congregation of Atlanta.

We had between 40 and 50 people at our screening, many of whom were from our congregation; but I was glad to see unfamiliar faces there as well. Though it was a “school night,” the majority of folks stayed afterward for discussion. We had Tracy Wells, the film’s communications director, and Dr. Gurusahay Khalsa, a Sikh minister, there to help facilitate the dialogue and to answer questions.

The first question from one of the audience members was about the experiences of the Sikh community in Atlanta—in what ways people were affected and in what ways they have continued to be affected. Dr. Khalsa spoke, saying that Sikhs found strength in each other. “It perhaps would have been easier to take the turban off, but we are a people of God, and we are honored to have taken the form.” He noted that wearing the turban provides opportunities to educate others.

Another audience member said he felt discouraged and asked how we deal with bigotry and prejudice. Dr. Khalsa related a story about Gandhi that I hadn’t heard before. Worried that her son ate too much sugar, a woman had taken her child to Gandhi. She implored Gandhi to advise her child to stop eating so much sugar. Gandhi asked the mother to come back in two weeks. She returned with her child fourteen days later, and Gandhi told the child, “Stop eating sugar.” The mother asked why Gandhi hadn’t given that advice two weeks ago. His response was that he first had to stop eating sugar. The anecdote illustrated the importance of being the change we want to see in the world.

We also addressed the topic of what it means to be American. Among the ideas expressed were these (which I am paraphrasing as best I can):

“I wish I weren’t American. It’s embarrassing.”

“I think everyone is American, but the folks attacking people who are of a different religion are the least American. The people who came here to practice freedom of religion—that’s American. That’s part of why this country was founded.”

“I do think the US has a unique challenge. Most countries are more homogeneous. In the US we are more diverse, and we are a young country. Asking us what it means to be an American is like asking an infant, ‘ Who are you?’”

“When I was teaching 10 years ago, I was doing a lesson on Thanksgiving with 4 and 5 year olds. One Native American girl called herself Indian; and I said, ‘Well, actually [name of another student] is an Indian because he’s from India.’ But the Indian student said, ‘No, I’m American.’ So I learned a lesson that day from these kids: that we are all Americans.”

We closed the evening with singing “Let There Be Peace on Earth,” and several folks lingered on to continue the conversation. What was clear was that the people assembled were truly disturbed by the violence that humans have perpetrated against one another but were also determined to do what they could to promote peaceful understanding.

> Read audience responses from the First Existentialist screening.