Faith rules the world…
I am waiting for Oct 2, although, I am not sure if I am waiting eagerly in amusement, or apprehensively.
In a conversation with an interfaith dialogue facilitator I was mentoring this morning, we spoke about how faith (particularly around religion) has a way of consuming our lives and energy unless we work with it consciously through dialogue within and around us. She spoke about one of her dialogue participants who had taken it upon herself to resist the patriarchy in the region of India she comes from, where the interpretation of religion demanded that women cover their heads with a ‘ghunghat’ (veil). As a mark of resistance, this female participant chose to always be dressed in jeans and t-shirts and cropped her hair short.
It is here that dialogue becomes critical. Engagement with something can create a spaciousness that resistance cannot. Of course, engagement is not endorsement, or subscription. It is to understand why the ‘other’ chooses certain beliefs, to help them (and oneself) be acquainted with the impact and implications of those beliefs, and to free oneself to make an informed choice.
The demand for a Hindu state by Jagadguru Paramhans Acharya Maharaj makes me wonder what notion of faith he subscribes to, particularly as a self-proclaimed god-man. Many of the Upanishads (religious texts) that outline the Hindu philosophy take the form of a dialogue, discussing philosophy from different points of view. So if his interpretation of being Hindu calls for exclusion of others, it becomes important to investigate it, particularly given his political backing.
What is your relationship with faith? Have you really made a free choice around it? If not, what comes in the way?
#RukminiIyer #peacebuilding #interfaith
