Let the ideal of unity spread across the world
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The “All Religions’ Conference” held in the Vatican was remarkable for its historical context, the grandeur of its themes, and its representative nature. On the centenary of the all-religion conference held in Aluva in 1924 under the leadership of Sree Narayana Guru, that voice of human unity has reached the world from Kerala. Today is a time when the world is more eager to hear the words of brotherhood than it was a hundred years ago. Racism and religious hatred have grown, paving the way for wars and genocide. Racial atrocities are on the rise in various countries. When religious hatred determines even the decisions of the majority, unrest and insecurity spread not only among minorities but also among the dominant groups. The elderly, women, and children are being massacred in a demonic frenzy. Hate killings are a daily occurrence not only in the centres of attention of the earth but also in the remotest corners of the world. If violence is carried out by weapons and hands, then it is the minds that control them, and the hatred in those minds is the filth that has brought humans to the point of being suspicious even of their neighbours. True religion has always fulfilled the mission of purifying minds and ideas. The ideas inspired by the presence of the Guru in the Vatican were embraced in the vast platform of human unity, and representatives of the Hindu, Christian, Muslim, Sikh and Jewish religions gathered there.
Man is the enemy of what he does not know. To the extent that even his neighbours, who suffer daily, are measured by the lies spread by someone else, distrust grows in the minds largely from ignorance. Any opportunity to get to know each other is invaluable. This is the logic and message of the “All Religions’ Conference”. The Pope's benediction speech at the three-day conference also emphasized this. Pope Francis pointed out that there is a situation where people of different religions face discrimination in the name of diversity and that they need to share spiritual truths and values with each other. Lack of respect for divine teachings is one of the reasons for the crisis the world is experiencing today. Sree Narayana Guru, who openly opposed the caste system and evil practices, emphasizes the importance of introspection and correction that every society must undertake. Everyone has the responsibility to protect not only the lives and property of others but also their dignity. Otherwise, unrest will spread. The other side of ego is disrespect for others. All the great gurus the world has seen have repeated that the path to peace is to know others and recognize oneself. Therefore, the path to peace that the world desires today is through interaction and constructive dialogue between ideas and religions. In his address, Pope Francis recalled the Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together signed with the Grand Imam of Abu Dhabi in 2019. As Sree Narayana Guru said a century ago, we should not live to argue, fight, and defeat, but to know ourselves and inform the world, and to understand each other. The Vatican conference is also the result of the organizers of the All Religions’ Conference, the Sivagiri Math and Swami Veereshwarananda, among other organisers, absorbing that message. Sree Narayana Guru taught through his own life that noble ideas should not be confined to conferences and speeches, but should help transform lives and cultivate society.
The mission of the organizers and the representatives of various religions who participated in the Vatican Conference does not end with broadcasting it to the world. They have the responsibility to transform those human values into practical ideas and social action plans. In this day and age, when even religions are engulfed by evil ideas, it is no small feat to not only speak the language of love but also to practise it. When evil ideas, disguised as religion, destroy humanity and conquer humans over time, great people and movements come with the correction of love. In the current context, where evil is a great madness that excites everything and is destroying religions, it is essential to try to find the true human being and the religion of goodness. And may this peace mantra that has reached the Vatican from Aluva a beginning of that.