We need to tolerate, appreciate other views
IN THE light of current prejudicial pronouncements against those of various racial, cultural and religious groups, I was reminded of an ancient parable on tolerance.
It recounts a group of blind men encountering an elephant for the first time.
Each approached the creature in an attempt to discover what it was, and each felt a different part of the elephant, describing what he assumed the beast looked like.
The first felt the trunk and claimed the creature was like a large snake; the second felt its tusk saying it was hard like a spear; the third felt the ear, proclaiming that it was like a giant fan; one put his hand on the leg, announcing it resembled a pillar or tree trunk; and another, who felt its side, swore it was like a wall.
Finally, the man who held its tail, described it as a rope.
They then engaged in a violent dispute, even coming to blows about their disagreements.
Finally, they stopped arguing, listened to one another, collaborating to re-examine the creature, and discovering that they lacked a vision of the whole, rather than the incomplete impression each initially encountered. They realised that each person’s subjective perspective was partially correct and partially false.
This parable elucidates how each tradition formulates the sacred differently, influencing the way people respond to it.
Early versions appear in Hindu, Buddhist and Jain texts, dating back to the mid first millennium BCE, occurring later in Sufi teaching, illustrating its universal appeal.
A related text from the Hindu Rig Veda composed between 1500 and 1200 BCE, expresses similar sentiments: “They call it Indra, Mitra, Varuna, Agni (we could add: Yahweh, Krishna, Allah, Christ, the Great Spirit…). Reality is One, though sages give it various names.”
This indicates a long tradition of tolerant, fascinated curiosity about unfamiliar faiths; a desire to understand and appreciate different perspectives.
In the last few centuries religion has featured prominently in various conflict zones worldwide – parts of India and Burma, Israel and Palestine, sectarian Islamic conflict in Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Afghanistan, Pakistan – even in our own country.
But as Karen Armstrong, commentator on world religion, has eloquently explained, it is not religion as such which is inherently aggressive; it is rather the quest for political and social control, attempts to annex the territory of opponents, and fear of change required by scientific, liberal, democratic world views.
Aggression
Many religious traditions have struggled to curb aggression and violence, promoting peace-loving communities – for example Ashoka, Buddhist convert, emperor of India (c 269-232 BCE); and Guru Nanak, Founder of the Sikhs (d 1539), who urged “convert your enemies to friends”.
Both the Buddha and Jesus consistently advocated a just, peaceful society.
Tolerance for the beliefs of others requires considerable humility: to be willing to listen to others; to admit their religious tradition may – probably does – have much of value; and to admit that one’s own longheld views might be inadequate, even inimical to the well-being and sustainability of all life on this planet – acknowledging that learning is an on-going, lifelong, process of exploration.
Numerous calls for interfaith initiatives come regularly from passionate, committed adherents of many faiths, and of none.
Swami Vivekananda, disciple of Ramakrishna, who introduced Hinduism to the US, and so to the West, in 1893, urging co-operation between all faiths, speaking of how he encountered the divine through many paths said: “I accept all the religions of the past and I worship God with every one of them. Can God’s book ever be finished? Must it not be a continuing revelation?”
Sufi Feisal Abdul Rauf came with his family from Kuwait to New York City in the 1960s, and as an author and activist was Imam of the Masjid al-Fatah mosque in the city.
He condemned the 9/11 attacks as un-Islamic, tirelessly attempting to build bridges between Islam and the West, appealing to the US government to reduce tension and the threat of violence by adopting a more tolerant policy towards the Muslim world.
He claims: “Bigotry toward any faith community cannot have any place in civilised society anywhere in the world.”
Karen Armstrong, who has shared platforms with Rauf, stresses that religions often have more beliefs in common than are conflicting: “Religions have always stressed that compassion is not only central to religious life, it is the key to enlightenment, and the true test of spirituality.
“Religion is not about accepting 20 impossible propositions before breakfast, but about doing things that change you. If you behave in a certain way, you will be transformed.
“Just keep your mind open and look for God. I like to look for God in other people, in other things, rather than thinking of a being up there.”
No religion can claim to possess Supreme Truth. All faith systems have attempted to show that the Ultimate cannot be adequately expressed in any system, because it extends beyond words and concepts. Alleyn Diesel has a PhD in religious studies from
the University of Natal