“Let not a man glory in this, that he loves his country; let him rather glory in this, that he loves his kind.”

- Bahá’u’lláh

This is one of my favorite quotes, but it had a particular impact on my day today. As you may know, I’m a member of the performing ensemble known as Rhythm of the Universe (ROTU). ROTU has members from over 90 countries and we have had the honor of performing in so many beautiful venues from fundraising galas to Boston’s Symphony Hall, but today we played a special concert and I realized at one point that I truly love my kind.

Today we played a memorial concert for the 10th anniversary of 9/11 at Boston’s beautiful Hatch Shell, a venue we shared with the Boston Pops. During the performance there were many solos, particularly vocal solos, but one stuck out for me, as it always does.

We have in our group a Japanese percussionist named Isaku Kageyama. He is a very gifted, hard-working, and expressive taiko player, one who puts boundless energy into every performance. As I listened to him today I felt a sense of pride well up inside me, and not a sense of pride in myself, or even our group. I felt proud of being a member of the human race.