The Drunk Diplomat

I just finished reading the Bhagavad Gita, an ancient Hindu text that is over 2,000 years old yesterday. The book is essentially a long poem about Arjuna, a king that has a long conversation with Krishna (God in human form) about the cosmos, life, death, and more. I grew up as a Christian, studied Islam in college, and now learning more about Hinduism I cannot see how someone without knowledge of the great world religions can really understand international affairs or the local politics of a country. Americans are notorious for their lack of geographic knowledge and curiosity about other nations, but I would add to that list other religions as well.

For example, it is not possible to understand the current geopolitical situation in the Middle East without some understanding of Islam, it’s two main branches, and what country is majority Sunni or Shia. Furthermore, I believe that learning about Hinduism is a good start for someone wanting to understand India. Religious texts such as the Koran and the Upanishads provide insights into the history of a people, their values, their world view, and importantly how they treat others that do not believe in the same faith. Muslims, according to the Koran, should treat “People of the Book” (Jews and Christians) more favorably than other religions. In the Bhagavad Gita Krishna, speaking to Arjuna, tells him that even if people pray to other gods they are really praying to him, they just don’t know it. Hinduism is benign to other religions, and will often incorporate other religions into Hinduism. Traits of Buddhism are strongly felt in Hinduism and to some Hindu’s Jesus is considered a god.

Unfortunately, religion’s role in international affairs will probably increase as globalization continues to rapidly accelerate. The “values” of people from Indonesia to America will feel threatened by new foreign ideas and immigrants. Conservatives have called for god to return to public schools, well, I agree, let’s create a world religion class for every public school in the country that teaches about the major religions of the world. Not espousing belief in a certain religion, but a general overview of the basic tenets of them all. This alone would make America’s children more world savvy and probably more tolerant of differing religious views.