A Diaspora Experience
By Dr. Shirin Zarqa-Lederman
Somewhere between here, there, and everywhere, there are stories worth telling.
A Diaspora Experience is a collection of personal essays exploring the intersections of faith, family, psychology, liberation, diaspora and belonging. Some reflections draw on the stories we inherit and the relationships we navigate. Others question what psychology has taught us about healing, resilience, and adapting to circumstances we probably shouldn't have to adapt to in the first place. And then there is diaspora itself; the complicated business of belonging to more than one place, carrying memories that aren't entirely our own, and trying to make sense of identity, home, and everything in between.
These essays are part personal reflection, part professional curiosity, and occasionally an attempt to find a little humor in the absurdity of it all. I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I've enjoyed writing them. And perhaps, somewhere along the way, you'll find a little something of yourself in these stories, too.
Even Prophet Nuh Couldn't Get His Son to Listen
There is something strangely comforting about knowing that even prophets had difficulties with their children. Take Prophet Nuh (Noah), for example. Here is a man who spent centuries calling people toward God, was entrusted with building an ark, and received divine warning of an approaching flood. Yet when it came time to convince his own son to get on the boat, the answer was essentially, "No thanks, Dad. I've got a plan." And his plan? Climb a mountain. As a family counselor, I have to admit, there is a certain familiarity to this exchange.