Islam and Peace
Spiritual Unity
~ 62 ~
Vivekananda took the stage, he addressed his
hearers as “Sisters and brothers of America.” No
sooner were the words out of his mouth than the
hall resounded with a long burst of applause. Of all
the delegates at the conference, Swamiji received
the greatest ovation.
The reason for this was that the form of address,
“Ladies and gentlemen” produces a sense of
alienation and strangeness, whereas the phrase
“Sisters and Brothers” introduces a note of
closeness and familiarity. By using this phrase,
Swami Vivekananda touched a cord in the hearts of
those of different creeds and colours. Their natural
feeling of unity was awakened, and then what
ensued fulfilled the best of expectations. All of a
sudden, the gaps between them were bridged. They
all began to feel themselves what they really were,
and for that moment, physical divisions
disappeared and were replaced by a rare spiritual
unity.
