Jesus, Muhammad, Gandhi, MLK, Mother Teresa, Lord Krishna, Buddha, Obama, Pope Francis, my father and mother are my mentors in the first tier, and there are several more in the 2nd. There is so much wisdom to be learned from each one of them. I wish people don’t own any one of these individuals; they are not the property of any religion either. If you don’t have time to learn at least don’t look at them as someone opposed to you, they are not, none of them.
Christians should quit claiming Jesus is their lord, Muslims should disown Prophet Muhammad, Hindus should free Lord Krishna….. Ownership causes the disputes, defending and conflicts. Let them be free to be had by anyone. I am sure none of these masters wanted to be limited to a group of people. Their message was universal and for the common good of humanity. If we can rise above our pettiness, there is so much good out there to be appreciated.If you are biased towards any one of the above or others, take time to learn about them, until you find their message to be universal, keep reading and re-reading, because their message is universal. So many times we fall prey to the brainwashing of our clergy, teachers, politicians and even parents when they say bad things about others. It is a shame that we believe what is dished out to us without verification and shame on them for passing on the info without questioning what was given to them. We need to liberate ourselves. Let’s not poison our kids with non-sense about others.
Bhagvad Gita, Bible, Quran and all the holy books emphasize that finding the truth is your own responsibility, as you are the one who will bear the tensions, nightmares, fears and apprehension and not the one who told you.
The unstated purpose of religions is restoring harmony to an individual and forging harmony with what surrounds one; life and matter. No religion is superior or inferior as each one does its work with the believer. Yes, religion is like a nuclear power, in the right hands it is beneficence while it is destroyed by the wrong hands. The good news is, the overwhelming majority of people in each faith are good people and that is why the life goes on despite the 1% of less who cause problems.
Our peace of mind is guaranteed when we are free from ill-will, malice, hatred and anger towards others. There is immense joy and pleasure in being free, try it, you’ll love it.
Take time to think… and my favorite time is when I am in the plane for 3 hours, where most of my life planning takes place. I love that time and passionately spend on defining and understanding myself and my freedom. Freedom is the most cherished value for me, what about you?
As a practice, find the work or words of any one from a faith other than yours, politicians other than yours and share, see the joy you find in it.
Mike Ghouse
Center for Pluralism