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A Multi-Cultural Vision of the 21st Century
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expressions of the noble and the savage. Many use the word savage as very natural human beings, not unlettered, uncivilized, barbaric. That philosopher was Russo who had said "Man was born free but every where he is in chains." Why is he in chains. He is in chains every where because he has brought and created this chain by himself around him by not overcoming the nature which makes him brutal, which makes him unkind or violent. It is, therefore, the nobility of nature which achieves its highest perception in the concept of dedication to truth and non-violence, compassion and love and brotherhood of man. Take this element from every religion which emphasises one or the other, from Vedic and Zorastrian tradition of faith to Islamic, the Sikh and more modern traditions. For instance, re-presentation of Brahmakumaris is here. The Jaina emphasises non-violence. It is a very ancient tradition. It goes back to thousands of years, may be ten thousand years, may be eight thousand years. In other traditions compassion and love is emphasised. Jesus Christ taught love as the creed of all creeds, as the religion of all the religions. Lord Buddha before him had compassion as the religion of all the religions. Zorastrian taught ethical norms of the universe as the guiding principle of living togather. Islam taught brotherhood of man, Sikkhism taught the ethics of indivisible advaita in its own time. Guru Nanak and Kabir taught the same. The western tradition embraces all these various traditions. All these religions live side by side. Some at a great distance and some very close togather. India is the primordial crade of religions. A cradle of religions where Christianity had arrived in 1st century A.D. Zorastrian tradition also arrived in India a long ago. We have Islam and other traditions. Sikkhism arose from the soil of India alone. But these traditions have co-mingled. In comingling there is no insecurity of loss or identity. The preservation of identity consists of the unity underlying all those diversities. Therefore, we must go on establishing what I call Pancasila, the cultural vision of values for 21st century.
(i) The first principle is affirmation of diversities and equal affirmation of unity underlying those diversities.
(ii) Second is the promotion of interfaith dialogue through cultural and educational interaction.
(iii) Third we must confer the concord, and hopefully evolve a
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