Harmony and Peace — beyond Prejudice
This GLOW Heartfulness webinar on Peace and Prejudice by LaShaun Martin and Jennifer Burden was indeed very educative. The speakers’ personal experiences were very touching. I became aware of so many facts of racism prevalent in the United States of America and the recent killing of George Floyd, and steps being taken by them formally or informally to educate the human race.
LaShaun shared her experience with a blonde child who became fearful of her touch on his shoulders, asking his mother to wipe it off. I remembered Daaji’s words in this article, “children were so happy, conveying the message that prejudice is dissolved when you become childlike. Those children lost their innocence when they were exposed to racism. Until then, they were blissfully enjoying life. So the exact opposite of prejudice is a childlike attitude of freshness towards all the approaches in life, a positive attitude — open-mindedness.”
When Purnima mentioned ‘colored people’ in the talk, I remembered the couplet by the prominent Urdu and Persian poet during the Mughal Empire's last years. (27 December 1797–15 February 1869).
“उमर भर ग़ालिब यही भूल करता रहा,
धूल चेहरे पर थी और आईना साफ करता रहा”।
Meaning:
All throughout his life, he kept cleaning the mirror
Whereas the dirt was actually on his face
The profoundness of this couplet is that the mind is colored.
Nothing fogs the mind like prejudice. Instead, remain serene with an open heart. — Daaji
We have prejudice based on casteism, skin color (black, white, brown, etc.). In India, generally, marriages are not to be performed in the same Gotra (a family tribe in the same community), different religions, or race or social standing (rich, poor, etc.). There is no end to this list.
In History, we learned that the caste system during the ancient Vedic period was based on ‘Varnas.’ The four principal Varna categories as defined were Brahmins (priests, gurus, etc.), Kshatriyas (warriors, kings, administrators, etc.), Vaishyas (agriculturalists, traders, etc.,), and Shudras (laborers). It was based on their profession. Later, this system became rigid and transformed into “Caste,” and it morphed into prejudice.
We are already aware of the outcome of prejudice seen during the II World War with the painful holocaust of 6 million Jews. Prejudice has also bred terrorism.
I remember this Hindi song which I used to watch on National TV.
This was intended to teach the value of unity and teamwork to children (Unity in Diversity). It also says how India is stronger if its citizens stand united, regardless of cultural differences. It begins with a group of children playing in a garden with one of them asking his elder sister, “Didi, yeh anek kya hota hai?”, which means, “Sister, what do you mean by ‘many’?”. The rest of the video is the sister’s reply. She uses a story about a group of birds flying along with the net to escape a hunter. Then a group of mice cuts the net and sets them free.
So in this context of prejudice, Heartfulness Institute has always been striving for Universal Peace through Universal Prayer at 9 pm every day.
In this article, Daaji quotes his guide thus — In 1957, my dear Master, Shri Babuji Maharaj, wrote a letter to the United Nations Organization, offering a simple and very practical solution to the world’s ills: “Sooner or later we will have to adopt spiritual principles if we want to maintain our existence. … If my opinion were to be invited, I would lay down the simplest possible method: Let us all sit daily at a fixed hour individually at our respective places and meditate thinking that all people of the world are growing peace-loving and pious.”
Our thoughts create vibrations in the atmosphere because thought is energy. Thus a simple effort to sit at 9 pm with the above thought promotes peace and harmony in the face of prejudice and hatred.
I conclude here with prayers for all humanity.
