Ekta)
November 10, 2008
Most
of the Indians I speak with are curious about the American
elections, not as much with respect to the issues as with
the fact that Obama is a person of color. Or maybe more so
because America has never had a minority or female
president. Folks here find this sort of skewed
representation perplexing, because America is supposed to be
the quintessential democracy. The country whose currency
bares the slogan E Pluribus Unum (out of many,
one) to demonstrate its commitment to a government of
the people, by the people, and for the people. But to
Indians it looked as if Americans had just been paying lip
service to the ideal until recently.
You see, in the mere 61 years of its democratic rule, India
can boast of a female president, a Sikh PM, an Italian-born
female as president of the ruling party, and a former
president who is a Muslim. Indians actively demonstrate
their value in diversity. In fact, it is common for school
children to enact a play at least once a year (usually near
Independence Day or Republic Day) based on the importance of
Hindu, Muslims, Sikhs, and Christians living and working
together cooperatively.
No doubt, one of India’s greatest assets is its diversity,
which I feel has accounted for its resiliency over the
millennia. Living System Theory shows us how beneficial
diversity is in all systems of lifebiological, ecological,
sociological, economic, etc., and how nature has its own
ways of balancing organisms when they become too large, too
powerful, too deviant, etc. It also explains how systems
that are too centralized or homogeneous often pay the
largest price when corrections take place.
Obama’s election formally signals the onset of this
corrective period. And I feel that America will find the
bottom soon (and that it won’t be so deep). However, I
believe that because of the extent to which globalisation
has affected our world in the past decade, America’s ability
to balance itself will be dependent on its ability to
increase its interdependence with other countries.
Here is an area where I think India will serve the US well
(far better than as a destination for outsourcing)helping
to improve the quality of life by sharing a wealth of
knowledge on the science of life, related to yoga,
pranayam (breathing techniques), Ayurveda, meditation,
etc. Such knowledge will help people find ways of balancing
themselves physically, helping them get in tune with their
bodies and to reduce stress and anxiety. It will help them
stay healthy with inexpensive, natural healthcare, including
herbal remedies and massage therapies. And spiritually,
people will learn to find greater joy with what they already
have in their lives rather than by acquiring more and more
material goods.
Making this type of knowledge available in a current context
with modern technology is Jiva’s mission. We’ve been working
for the past 14 years to create an array of tools, courses,
and resources in the area of life-wellness based on Vedic
wisdom. It seems that things are suddenly coming togethera
tipping point of sorts, where our work may soon be of value
to a much wider audience.
We’re excited about the opportunity to share these assets
and to be an active part of the balancing process. Get ready
for some informative articles and videos in the coming days
and weeks from Dr. Satya Narayna Dasa, Dr. Partap Chauhan,
and our team members. In the meantime, let’s remember:
E Pluribus Unum / Anekta Mein Ekta
(Out of Many One / Diversity in Unity)
Visit my Blog at www.stevenrudolph.com.
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Find solutions to all problems related to health, education and spirituality at www.jiva.com