My Inter-faith Journey

As a child I grew up in a blend of diversity, and at a tender age I was exposed to many things, for the fact that my dad was emotionally involved in the legal fraternity. A man of discipline and dignity, our lifes were entailed with the set of laws. Even though such he was not a pious man but he performed his timely duty to God and managed to nurture us with some knowledge in hand.

As the rule of Hinduism is to firstly respect your mother - "matha", then your father -"pitha", after which your teacher - "guru" and finally God -"deivam". My brother and I were taught the same, to respect and love one another, which included our enemies at times. Thus, came about the teachings of faith and religion, the necessity of coping with life’s trials and tribulations. Inter-faith was my religious views since young.

So what is this Inter-faith all about? Some may look at it in a small spectrum and others may see it in a macro capacity level. Well, I witnessed it at a macro capacity level comprehending that unity, service and awakening were the ideals of Inter-faith. The believe that a universal experience of LOVE allows people to learn to live together in a harmonious way, which was what I had put in practice all my life. This is the LOVE that is at the heart of all the great spiritual teachings even.

Inter-faith is unique and very different in its very own way. Most importantly we celebrate the good qualities of each faith and lead a positive life with the trust to create more harmony and understanding in the world through our understanding of each other.

I would love to share with others in my understanding of the Inter-faith journey in brief. I will start of with Hinduism. One of Hinduism’s most valuable teachings is that of nonviolence. Its unique concept of nonviolence is called “ahimsa,” and means compassion and non-harm to every living thing. That includes other human beings, animals, even insects, and it also includes the people who try to harm us. Another great lesson found in Hinduism is pluralism. Hinduism teaches that there are no “bad” religions; each is, rather, just a “different path up the same mountain.” The peak of the mountain is God, heaven and enlightenment, and we are all on some sort of path up that mountain. Work that an individual does to advance him or herself on that path is called his “dharma,” and one person’s dharma is different from another’s.

Next on my list is Buddhism. Buddhism teaches awareness for our surroundings, and teaches us to look beyond things as they seem. Buddhism also teaches detachment; that we live happier, healthier, and more productive lives when we separate ourselves from outcomes and expectations. When we do a good deed, we should not expect something good in return, because we could be disappointed. Instead, when we expect nothing, we are more likely to be pleased when good things do come. Buddhism is known for its teachings about karma, the idea that all of our thoughts and actions, for good or ill, will come back to effect us. Similar to Hindu teachings, one has to be willing to wait a long time – even lifetimes – to see the rewards of doing good which does take place and I can strongly affirm this.

Angels are God’s special helpers and that is what Christians believe. At the heart of Christianity is love; a powerful love that for all humanity, that is willing to face persecution, suffer, or even die for the sake of another. Worthiness is not an issue in that love; love should be unconditional, not based on human judgments of who “deserves” it. That means a willingness to sacrifice everything we have for love, and an eagerness to love even those who require the most effort. Christianity’s central figure, Jesus, asks us to go beyond that, to forgive our transgressors and pray for those who persecute us. He said that love for the divine and for each other is God’s greatest commandment.

Lastly, is Islam from what I have experienced from people of this faith is Islam teaches that there is a brotherhood of humanity. Its central belief is the concept of oneness, including the oneness of God, the oneness of creation, and the oneness of humanity. That means there is no race, nationality, ability, or difference among human beings; we are all called to treat each other as brothers and sisters. Even in the Qur’an, Islam’s Holy Scripture, God even says that humans were created with different races and religions so that they may get to know each other for mutual benefit.

Each one of us is blended in all religions in some part of our lives in one way or another through their teachings and beliefs. I have experienced a whole lot and I hope I have touched upon what unites us as a community acknowledging that spirituality is broad and accessible to everyone, and to defiantly stand against hatred and prejudice in a positive way by loving and appreciating each other's differences. And knowing that God is ONE and that he only comes in different forms in variation of time and place.

Friends at work

We work at least eight hours a day, and for management staff an average of 12 hours is not uncommon or even more. That leaves us another 12 hours or less, of which seven to eight hours are for sleep. Driving to work and other errands will easily take up the remaning hours.

So our colleagues can be considered people we have the most contact with, as in my working environment, students make up to be the next on the list, therefore it is important to cultivate friendship and camaraderie at work.

We probably spend more time with them than with our family members.

I have gone through both autocratic management styles and the opposite,

democratic management styles, and I'd like to share my views and experiences.

Autocratic systems may initially succeed in getting employees to work by instilling fear (of reprimand, being neglected for increment/promotion and termination) but it will definately backfire in ways like low morale, hatred, reluctance to accept responsibility, shifting blame and ultimately, job-hopping. Eventually the goals of the company and the employees will begin to see the organisation as a place for temporal employment and are resistant to giving their best.

Democratic systems are more effective in the long term and promote internal motivation within the worker. Each employee is an individual, each having needs. Our monthly salary satisfies physical needs but friendship, appreciation and warmth are something that we need too and it is important that we can find them in our workplace because we are there most of the time.

As part of management, I finally understood this after having worked for a number of companies in a decade. Work is not just about how efficient and capable you are but how you interact with and secure co-operation from your colleagues because we are all part of a team. It takes effort to build a good working relation and as you go along, you will come to a point where you go to work not just to earn a living but to meet your friends at work. And it's great to have a drink with your friends from the office at the end of the day or maybe planning an outing together can be rewarding.

Having said this, I realise the principle of "what you sow is what you reap" is so true. If you treat people around you well, you have less to worry about them scheming to harm you, bad mouth you or practise office politics. Your colleagues will probably be more forgiving and overlook your mistakes if you are the same towards them. I have come across situations where I ran out of ideas but my colleagues have bailed me out and vice versa. Truly a rich man is one who has many friends.

I have begun practising what I have said and I will continue doing it. I find that working at the office is much more bearable and I don't dread going to work. I am happy to know I have friends to help me and whom I can also help in return. There will be bad days at the office, but with friends working with you, life is much better and bearable like a bed of roses.

cheers ... kp priya ;-)