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Humanitarian from India:
'God loves diversity'

27th of Jun 2016

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar shared his thoughts at "Creating a Culture of Peace,” sponsored by the Ohio State University College of Arts and Sciences.

Eradicating hate in the world will come with eradicating ignorance and mistrust and honoring the differences of others, a humanitarian from India told a gathering Monday night at the Faculty Club at Ohio State University.

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, founder of the Art of Living Foundation and the International Association for Human Values, shared his thoughts at "Creating a Culture of Peace,” sponsored by the College of Arts and Sciences. He said campus students must work harder to get to know hundreds of friends, not just a few, if they are to understand diversity on a broader scale.

"Diversity is the nature of the world, and God loves diversity," he said. "There was only one Lord Jesus, there are 72 sects of Christianity; there's only one Lord Buddha, 32 sects of Buddhism; one prophet Mohammed, there are six different philosophies of Islam; in Hindu, you can't even count.

This diversity, he said, is the richness of our planet. "We are to honor them, not just tolerate them," he said.

"You tolerate something which you don't like. ... I say we have to celebrate diversity, because this is our heritage, our humanity."

Shankar was in Columbus for an "Art of Living: Get Happy Columbus" event both Monday and today at the university, offering breathing practices, meditation and yoga.

Ohio State has an Art of Living Club that has helped more than 1,000 people learn to reduce stress, depression and anxiety, said event organizer Jill Klimpel, an academic counselor in political science and geography. It also has the related Project Welcome Home Troops that helps reduce stress and increase the mental well-being of people who have served in the armed forces.

"We're committed to seeing campus become a stress-free, violence-free campus by offering stress relief and leadership programs for students as well as social-service projects around campus," Klimpel said.

At Monday night's discussion, Shankar talked of his work brokering peace in Colombia and told of how his group has fostered peace and helped people cope with trauma in Iraq, Pakistan, India and other parts of the world. Values that cannot be compromised, he said, are gender equality, animal welfare, environmental protection and a scientific approach.

The terrorist group Islamic State has rejected his offer to dialogue. If even one small part of the world is left in darkness and ignorance, believing that only they have a right to heaven, they will "create hell for everyone else," Shankar said.

As such, he said, working with such groups requires a focus on peace and wellness education as opposed to religion. Further, he believes all children should be taught parts of all religious texts.

When asked by an audience member how to ease the resentment that such groups as Islamic State have toward the West, he said the key is education and trust. But, he acknowledged, "I don't have solutions for everything.

"If you have this question — 'How can we improve the world? How can we improve the situation?' — I would like you to keep that question alive inside of you and ask yourself again and again, and many times you may get many ideas."

 

Courtesy: The Columbus Dispatch