24 April 2015 - QA 4

What do you think about the takfiri movement and the extreme violence in Syria?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

First, this is an identity crisis, as I have said. People feel their identity is threatened.
Second, they think only they have the key to the heaven, and all others are wrong.

I would like to share one of my experiences with you. When I was in Pakistan, I gave a talk at the University of Lahore. A youth stood up and said, ‘We believe in one God, but in India you believe in so many gods. How come? We don’t agree with that.’
I told him, 'We also believe in one God, but with many costumes. We do not have many gods, we have one God only, but He likes to change his dresses and costumes. That is the only difference'.
I gave him one example, I said, 'See, from wheat you make bread, you make samosa, you make naan, you make chapatti, and you make noodles. The same wheat is also used to make muffins, croissants and all different types of German bread. Now why do we make so many types of dishes from the same wheat? It is because we love variety. The divinity who created the universe loves diversity, and we must honor diversity'.
The student got so satisfied, and said, ‘You just relieved me and have taken the weight off my head.’

So this unity in diversity needs to be emphasized . This is the first step.
The youth today are fed up with the material, they are looking for some higher pleasures, some heaven. The second step is for us to tell them that, ‘Love is heaven and this world has plenty of love'.
I would say, if you put them in a room and give me two hours with them for three days, you will see them coming out with a smile and with flowers instead of guns.