Joel Mukwedeya

The chapter explores the journeys of three souls—Joel, a Christian from Zimbabwe; Anushay, a Muslim from Pakistan; and Sameer, a Hindu from Nepal. Despite our cultural differences and positionalities guided by diverse lived experiences, spirituality has brought us together. On the other hand, the chapter will focus on the spiritual realm that engages the dimension of life that is beyond human understanding. Some people do not connect this dimension with the concept of a divinity and prefer to think of it in terms of a sense of meaning rather than spirituality. Though we started this journey as unfamiliar strangers, spirituality’s ultimate strength joined us together through the “ancient and abiding human quest for connectedness with something larger and more trustworthy than our egos” (Parker Palmer in Dei et al., Removing the Margins: The Challenges and Possibilities of Inclusive Schooling. Toronto, Canadian Scholars’ Press, 2000, p. 93). We are connected by the energy within ourselves—connecting, sharing, and interacting with each other. The world around us (Cajete, Look to the Mountain: An Ecology of Indigenous Education. Kivaki Press, 1994) helps us create a shared narrative that allows us to live and work in harmony and reverence (Wangoola, Indigenous Knowledges in the Global Contexts: Multiple Readings of the World. University of Toronto Press, 2000). This unique perspective of three religions and spirituality—distinct yet intersecting, diverse yet harmonious—creates the space for multiple readings of the journeys shared in this chapter.