In the news today was a report of a mass dining protest organised by Mia Northrop in Australia against racial attacks, in which the participants sat down to take curry in Indian restaurants. This was in response to attacks on Indians in Australia. The event attracted participation not only in Australia but also in Tokyo, Amsterdam, New York and Stockholm.
The huge success of this protest against racialism is a good indication that the world is becoming less racial and more a one-world family, which we actually are.
It is pretty obvious that the world never was meant to be divided into so many countries, states and races. The world just comprises of some pieces of land and sea. Man, craving for power, laid claims to particular areas and put boundaries on those pieces of land. Even to this so-called civilised day, Man, in this kind of craziness, still fight over land that God bestowed to all mankind. In actual fact, on the very ground where the boundaries of countries are, except for islands, there is no natural dividing feature on the ground itself to indicate where the boundary is!
Who created us to be of a particular race? It is none but the power-crazy leaders who started drawing up imaginary lines (It's all in the mind and drawn on a so-called map.) and declaring that a piece of land was henceforth named America, Canada, India, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and so forth. And the people born in each place are known as a race. Thus, we have Americans, Canadians, Indians, Malaysians, Thais and Vietnamese. Are they truly different? No! The only superficial difference is the colour of their skin which is due to the weather these people and their ancestors endure for so many years.
Take India for example. Part of the country is in the tropics while the northern region has a much cooler climate. The northern Indians are so fair while the southern Indians are so dark. Recently, I met a Tibetan lady who has north Indian features. If I had not been told where she came from, I could have mistaken her for a northern Indian.
So, race is something created by humans. It only exists in the minds of humans. That is how some politicians in Malaysia sometimes use the arguement that people who originate from Indonesia, Java and other places which the British named the Malay Peninsula have not migrated because people from the Malay Peninsula are Malays, even though these people had obviously come from another piece of land that never recognised Malaysia as part of their country. Well, that's how politicians try to twist the facts to suit their own purpose.
The fact is that this is one world. The boundaries, states, countries and races are all man-created. If human can only see this and live as a one-world family, sharing the world together, there will be peace and greater happiness on Earth.
Showing posts with label open-mindedness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label open-mindedness. Show all posts
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
The importance of being open-minded.
"It is healthier if we eat most of our food raw," I told this guy one day.
"Raw? Do you know the number of pathogens in our environment? How can it be healthier to eat our food raw?" he demanded, annoyed that I could suggest such a method of consuming our food.
"Of course, when it comes to meat and animal products, we need to cook them but there is still so much food we can eat raw. Vegetables, for example, can....."
"No! No! No! We are not animals. Only animals eat food raw. And they do it because they cannot cook it. But humans.... what a preposterous idea!" He was frothing at the mouth and disgusted with the idea of eating like the animals.
I had to back off. I wanted no quarrel with him over an idea which could only bring good to him. If he does not like it; well, I am certainly not going to force it on him. Looks like he has a closed mind, not willing to listen and accept new ideas even though they have been tested and found to be good.
If he had shown surprise at the idea and requested for explanations, I would have done so. If my explanations were not based on facts and truth, then it was still not too late to reject it. Unfortunately, his mind was closed to new ideas and was not willing to listen before pushing such ideas away. Both of us were losers then. I lost the opportunity to help someone overcome his health problem and that someone lost the opportunity to acquire a healthier way of eating. That is the problem of being not open-minded. There just isn't any receptivity.
Unless we and our children are receptive to new technology and new knowledge, there will be an obstacle to improvement in our lives.
Once upon a time, cancer patients depend on just sugery, chemotherapy and radiation, the three methods of cancer treatment that weakens us and our immune system as it removes or kills most of the cancer cells. Today, we have cancer researchers from China, America and other parts of the world who found immunotherapy, gene therapy and herbs which improve the chances of survivor for cancer patients when used together with surgery, chemotherapy or radiation. Each year, advances in medical science is made. Unless we are enlightened to these advances, we cannot make intelligent choices when the need arises.
Open-mindedness is not only beneficial to health. As society changes, and ccommunities open its borders people from all over the world, its members must become more liberal to other races, differing beliefs, religions and cultures which may be totally alien to their own. They must respect and allow beliefs and ideas which contradict with their own in order to exist harmoniously on this earth. Yes, people have to be open-minded enough to be tolerant of everything that is different from theirs.
As we can see, our open-mindedness is the way forward to a progressive society where all mankind can live in peace and harmony; with the understanding that every human is an individual, the world a heterogenous confederation of so many tribes, communities, states and countries; all dissimilar in their practises, yet so homogeneous in their human behaviour.
When everyone achieves such open-mindedness, there can be no conflict, no terrorism and no war. After all such miserable happenings occur because there are those who refuse to be liberal, tolerant, receptive or be enlightened. Open-mindedness is indeed difficult to ahcieve.
However, we ought to teach our children to be open-minded so as to bring greater understanding and love to all mankind. When that happens, The Art of Living's goal of a 'One World Family' become a reality.
"Raw? Do you know the number of pathogens in our environment? How can it be healthier to eat our food raw?" he demanded, annoyed that I could suggest such a method of consuming our food.
"Of course, when it comes to meat and animal products, we need to cook them but there is still so much food we can eat raw. Vegetables, for example, can....."
"No! No! No! We are not animals. Only animals eat food raw. And they do it because they cannot cook it. But humans.... what a preposterous idea!" He was frothing at the mouth and disgusted with the idea of eating like the animals.
I had to back off. I wanted no quarrel with him over an idea which could only bring good to him. If he does not like it; well, I am certainly not going to force it on him. Looks like he has a closed mind, not willing to listen and accept new ideas even though they have been tested and found to be good.
If he had shown surprise at the idea and requested for explanations, I would have done so. If my explanations were not based on facts and truth, then it was still not too late to reject it. Unfortunately, his mind was closed to new ideas and was not willing to listen before pushing such ideas away. Both of us were losers then. I lost the opportunity to help someone overcome his health problem and that someone lost the opportunity to acquire a healthier way of eating. That is the problem of being not open-minded. There just isn't any receptivity.
Unless we and our children are receptive to new technology and new knowledge, there will be an obstacle to improvement in our lives.
Once upon a time, cancer patients depend on just sugery, chemotherapy and radiation, the three methods of cancer treatment that weakens us and our immune system as it removes or kills most of the cancer cells. Today, we have cancer researchers from China, America and other parts of the world who found immunotherapy, gene therapy and herbs which improve the chances of survivor for cancer patients when used together with surgery, chemotherapy or radiation. Each year, advances in medical science is made. Unless we are enlightened to these advances, we cannot make intelligent choices when the need arises.
Open-mindedness is not only beneficial to health. As society changes, and ccommunities open its borders people from all over the world, its members must become more liberal to other races, differing beliefs, religions and cultures which may be totally alien to their own. They must respect and allow beliefs and ideas which contradict with their own in order to exist harmoniously on this earth. Yes, people have to be open-minded enough to be tolerant of everything that is different from theirs.
As we can see, our open-mindedness is the way forward to a progressive society where all mankind can live in peace and harmony; with the understanding that every human is an individual, the world a heterogenous confederation of so many tribes, communities, states and countries; all dissimilar in their practises, yet so homogeneous in their human behaviour.
When everyone achieves such open-mindedness, there can be no conflict, no terrorism and no war. After all such miserable happenings occur because there are those who refuse to be liberal, tolerant, receptive or be enlightened. Open-mindedness is indeed difficult to ahcieve.
However, we ought to teach our children to be open-minded so as to bring greater understanding and love to all mankind. When that happens, The Art of Living's goal of a 'One World Family' become a reality.
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