Empathetic Conversations

The term 9/11, in general, brings to mind the terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers in USA.

A stunned America and the world watched in sorrow the dreadful tragedy of intolerance and violence. But 125 years ago on 11/9/1893, America and the world had heard with bated breath the message of peace, love, and harmony ringing out from the platform of The World’s Parliament of Religions in Chicago.

It was an assembly of ‘scholars, reformers, missionaries, moral heroes, delvers in the mines of the soul, seekers after Truth, toilers for humanity’, who represented different religions and sects from across the world. They had assembled there from 11 Sept to 27 Sept 1893 to foster inter-religious dialogue and bring about universal brotherhood.

That platform introduced to the world Swami Vivekananda—a personality destined to reshape the course of Indian national history and the lives of countless spiritual aspirants across the world. In his opening address, Swamiji expressed the hope that the convention would ‘be the death-knell of all fanaticism, of all persecutions with the sword or with the pen, and of all uncharitable feelings between persons wending their way to the same goal.’

But history is witness that sectarianism and bigotry, which engender fanaticism, have continued to fill the earth with violence and have ‘sent whole nations to despair.’ Bigotry, or intolerance towards those who hold different opinions from ourselves, is witnessed in different spheres of life like religion, race, culture, language, gender, region, nationality, class, and caste. A bigot is not only a nuisance and a threat to society, but he is also a sick person who suffers from inner disharmony.