大象传媒

From Remona Aly, freelance journalist and editor:

You know how some people have a bucket list of places they must see before they die, well the former eastern bloc was not on mine, but earlier this year I found myself in the Ukraine visiting an old uni friend. And as it turns out, it was quite an eye-opening surprise.

I marvelled at the soaring cathedrals topped with gleaming domes lining the sky; I over-indulged in the delights of chocolate factories that Willy Wonka would have traded an oompa loompa for; and I rambled around markets that bulged with babushka dolls and rusty souvenirs whispering of war.

One evening, after a tiring day out, we almost passed on by yet another cathedral, but there was something pulling me inside. When I stepped through the wide arched door, it was like I stepped into a beautiful painting.

I blended into a multicoloured sea of headscarves worn by Catholic worshippers, and my friend lost me for a moment in the crowd, but I also lost myself in the moment.

The congregation moved in a throng of devotion as priests held the Bible high in the air, their voices rising towards the lofty ceiling.

Even though I didn鈥檛 recognise the words or the rituals, I was deeply moved. I felt like a giant spiritual mirror was held up and reflected that same sacred yearning that I recognised in my own faith.

It鈥檚 the same feeling when I hear my Jewish friends welcome the Shabbat on a Friday night. It鈥檚 the same feeling when I see Sikhs bow in the gurdwara in reverence to their holy scripture.

That love, that devotion, that search for meaning is universal, it鈥檚 a human need.

The late Muslim boxing legend and global hero, Muhammad Ali, in his usual eloquence was spot on when he said: 鈥淩ivers, ponds, lakes and streams. They have different names, but all contain water. Religions have different names but all contain truth.

I think of Muhammad Ali鈥檚 words when I try to make sense of this world and all the different paths we take. It can be so baffling, and seem so complicated, but the most beautiful thing about people is our difference, our variety, our expressions of belief. Everyone seeks their own truth in their own way, wherever and however it lies.

If truth is like water, maybe we just need to go with the flow.