Come See for Yourself
October 10, 2010i recently spent the weekend in new jersey – morris plains to be exact. it’s about an hour west of new york city and about an hour south of the new jersey/new york border (and just to be clear, nowhere near the jersey shore). and in case you are unclear of the distinction, new jersey is not part of new england – these distinctions are very important for people who live in or are from new england. i’ve lived in boston for almost 10 years but had never been south (or west-ish) of new york city before so this was my first time to new jersey.
i think it’s important to learn about places that you are travelling to, so i’ve learned a bit about new jersey…besides the fact that is the home of jon bon jovi and shaquille o’neal, which for some is all they need to know. it is the most densely populated of the States, the second wealthiest and the home of more scientists and engineers per square mile than anywhere in the world – wow! who would have thought? it also has the second largest muslim population (by percentage) of any other state (after michigan). but if you don’t believe it, the state slogan is: come and see for yourself.
i headed to new jersey, perhaps not coincidentally, to meet some muslims who live in morris plains and participate in a “love your neighbor” dinner. i was really excited about this opportunity because i spend a lot of time thinking about how to love my neighbors and friends here in boston – a lot of whom are muslims. it seems like crossing cultural, class and religious boundaries don’t come natural to many people and to consider the extra step of loving those who are not like us can be really scary. but that’s what this weekend was all about.
seems like new jersey might be on to something. relationships that cross culture, class and religious boundaries have a lot to offer – come see for yourself!
