A photo of a Hasidic couple sitting next to a Muslim woman on a New York City subway has gone viral.
The photo was taken by Jackie Summers, who is a devotee of the Taoist religion, reports the Daily Mail.
Taoism has 20 million adherents, according to the website Religious Facts, which explains that the religion “is based on the teachings of the ‘Tao Te Ching,’ a short tract written in the 6th century BCE in China. Taoism emphasizes spiritual harmony within the individual, complementing Confucianism’s focus on social duty. The two great Chinese belief systems were founded at about the same time and continue to exist side-by-side in today’s China.”
Summers, who blogs for a site called The Good Men Project, was riding at the time on the F Train, which runs from Brooklyn, goes through Manhattan, and then into Queens.
“A Taoist (me) gives up his seat so a Hasidic couple could sit together. They scoot over so a Muslim mother could sit and nurse her baby, on Easter Sunday,” Summers wrote on Facebook and in his blog. “This is my America: people letting people be people,” he added.
The post has been shared almost 30,000 times on Facebook since Sunday and shared over 4,000 times on Twitter. And the positive comments have been pouring in:
“THIS is what makes America great and these days I’ve been struggling to find ways to feel good about America Thank you for restoring a little of my faith in humanity today, Jackie.”
“This gives me JOY! I will always pray that we as a nation might become ONE as we embrace each other & our differences! A Beautiful Tapestry!”
“Now that’s the kind of America I would like to live in.”
“This *is* the future that liberals want. It checks out.”
“Such a NY way of life. As a New Yorker living in other parts of the country, I hope that soon the rest of the country catches up.”
The reactions seem to reflect a sense of unease about the President Donald Trump’s policy toward immigration, speculates the Daily Mail. Trump has attempted unsuccessfully to ban immigrants from Syria and other predominantly Muslim nations, and continues to promise to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexican border.
Hate crimes in general have reportedly increased in parts of the country, with confirmed attacks on Mosques and Jewish cemeteries.
Americans yearning for peace, love and understanding seem to have found it in Summers’ photo, involving three non-Christian religions on Christianity’s most holy day.
Sources: Daily Mail, Religion Facts / Photo credit: Jackie Summers/Facebook via Daily Mail
