UNIVERSE WITHIN by Gwen Randall-Young

Tolerance implies a gratuitous assumption of the inferiority of other faiths to one’s own.
– Gandhi

It is painful to witness the divisiveness occurring in our world. We see country against country, culture against culture and sect against sect. It is like a family in which there is such hostility that members end up killing one another. We all belong to the human family, after all. Unfortunately, it would seem that our global family is very dysfunctional.
Until I read the quote by Gandhi, noted above, I thought that tolerance and acceptance of each other was what was needed. It hit me like a ton of bricks. I realized that when we say we must be tolerant of other cultures or religious groups, it sounds as though we are being patient with something we would prefer not to have to deal with. We are tolerant of bad weather, noisy children and long waits at the doctor’s office. How would we feel if we knew someone was merely tolerating us?
Of course there is some history to all of this. If generations have been taught that there is only one “right” way to be, only one way to Heaven and only one path to follow, and those who did not adhere to this path were called heathens or sinners, the way was paved for exclusion and condemnation of those who were “different.”
Truth be told, the western world does seem to have a cultural superiority complex. It has been birthed, however, out of ignorance of the ways of other cultures and religions. With ignorance often comes fear. Bertrand Russell said, “Collective fear stimulates herd instinct and tends to produce ferocity toward those who are not regarded as members of the herd.”
We see this within our own communities and on a global scale, where it becomes much more serious. Terrorism has shown us that the ferocious attacks no longer occur only along borders and are not aimed at only one country.
It is as ludicrous to think that every Muslim is a potential terrorist as it is to think every American is a disciple of George Bush. My guess is that the majority of people in the world want peace. They are not concerned with power, oil, wealth or control. They want enough to eat, clothing and shelter, healthcare and for their families to be safe. They do not want war or killing or to be driven from their homes or to live in fear.
We must find ways to understand and connect with these people all over the world and to communicate to them our sense of brotherhood. We need to show them we respect their beliefs, but we must understand them first.
Gandhi said, “It is the duty of every cultured man or woman to read sympathetically the scriptures of the world. If we are to respect others’ religions as we would have them respect our own, a friendly study of the world’s religions is a sacred duty.”
Typically, in our schools, children learn about the geography, politics and culture of other countries, but not about their citizens’ religious beliefs. Why is this? If, early on, children learned about religious diversity, they would be able to develop an enlightened understanding. Respect, inclusiveness and a sense of equality would follow. How can we cultivate a respect for other religions if our children are being taught that theirs is the only “right” one?
It is possible for children to learn to be loyal to their own traditions while respecting other peoples’ beliefs, but only if the adults around them model that behaviour. This seems a simple enough way to begin to create a more enlightened population, and long overdue.

Gwen Randall-Young is a psychotherapist in private practice and author of Growing Into Soul: The Next Step in Human Evolution. For information about her book, other articles and CDs, visit www.gwen.ca.