World Religion Day is celebrated on the third Sunday of January every year. It is a reminder of the need for harmony and understanding between religions and faith systems. On this day, communities of different faiths have the opportunity to get together and listen to each other, and to celebrate the differences and commonalities that the delicate intermingling of culture and religion brings. World Religion Day also provides the perfect opportunity for people to step out of their individual bubbles and engage with the beliefs and spiritual ideologies of others. Most of us are yearning for peace in a badly bruised world and are seeking to contribute in our own ways to help make the world a more harmonious place.
Man is a unique being. Among the living beings on this planet, he is unique; he is the one who has the most developed brain. He possesses a fantastic intelligence, which gives him the capacity to achieve great things. Yet, is an amalgam of good and bad. He can at times be greedy, jealous, miserly, cruel or vicious as well.
At different times in history, prophets have appeared at various places on earth to guide humans on the right path. They have preached the same good word in different languages in the context of different religions. They all hailed from God and as His messenger exhorted man to be good and to do good.
The finality of all religions is the same. They all emphasize on whatever is good in man to help him live a good life. They all adopt the premise that if we scratch the worst criminal, we can find something good in him. All religions preach love, compassion, tolerance, charity and sharing. To live a worthwhile life on this earth, man has certain responsibilities towards himself, the members of his family, his friends as well as the society, and he has to honestly discharge such responsibilities.
In the heyday when everything goes well it is easier for somebody to live according to the precepts of religion. But in disturbed times, when there is war, diseases, national calamities or acts of terrorism, it becomes more difficult to abide by religion. Yet this is when, the greatest manifestation of love, brotherhood and solidarity is required. For those who have faith, however, spirituality can move mountains; it can certainly help people to live in peace and harmony.
On the World Religion Day, for more than half a century people of goodwill have celebrated this event in order to eliminate prejudices and promote greater ties among religions. World Religion Day tries to awaken the consciousness about the unifying power of religions and about the contribution of this attribute to bring harmony and unity among people. Indeed interfaith dialogue leads to understanding, trust, tolerance and cooperation.
The history of our settlement in Mauritius is replete of sad and painful episodes. In spite of the tough times they have had, our forefathers have worked very hard and fought for our survival. Present generations of Mauritians have brought our country to economic success, development and prosperity. But in view of our multicultural and multi-religious society, our social fabric is exceedingly fragile. Our diversity is a great asset, but it is also a tangible weakness. We need to tread into the future with greatest care and do everything to maintain and promote unity and peace.
World trends do not contribute towards our objectives of unity and peace. Globalization compels us to compete on a level playing field with giants, without safety nets. Our economic prosperity is being eroded with consequences like laying off, rising prices and unemployment. If we allow our diversity and differences to stand in our way, it will be very difficult for a small island like ours to face the world. Only unity and hard work can save us.
Mauritius has reached a turning point in its history. We are witnessing a race after money and material welfare, rise in violence, a loss of moral values by our youth and an invasion of our lives by modernisms. We are no more interested in a simple life and we do not get satisfaction with the simple things of life. It is high time we devote more time and attention to spirituality.
Spirituality means that we should not practice religion for the sake of religion only. Religion should be the set of moral rules, the guidelines, the prop to enable us to lead a model life. Religious teachings should have as practical objectives, such as love, tolerance, cooperation, unity and peace, among others. For a sustainable and positive peace, Faith and Diplomacy need to shake up and purify our Mauritian society by waging a movement headed not only by religious leaders and diplomacy, but also by social, educational, professional, trade unionist, sportsmen, cultural, literary, media leaders and many others.
By Bashir Nuckchady
