Thoughts on a Documentary

Yesterday I read about a new documentary that was created by two young filmmakers. They had been asked to use the movie camera as a way to look at Los Angeles through the eyes of scriptures. In response, they made the film called "Finding God in the City of the Angels."

What impressed me most about their film is what they had discovered while making it. One of the filmmakers, Jennifer Jessum said this to an reporter from the Los Angeles Times: "[Each of the faith groups] had different names to idenify things, but they were saying the same thing. Everbody had something about being good to other people."

In my work with various religious groups, I have found that each of the world's faiths has something similar to the golden rule. Jessum's observation confirmed my own realization.

I enjoyed the one comment made by Simon Joseph, the other member of the filmmaking pair. Joseph said, "It was a tightrope to walk between unity and diversity." Back in the summer of 1990, I taught a one week course on unity and diversity at a Bah'ai summer school in Los Angeles. I recall trying to explain the concept of unity and diversity to five and six year olds.

I remember taking them out on the parking lot and letting them play with bubbles. I talked about how every bubble was different, but every bubble came from the same soap and water solution. I wonder if any of those children, now 25 and 26 will view this new documentary.


Sue Chehrenegar